Berkan ACAR, Ali MUHTAROGLU, Elif YILMAZ, Gokhan AYDIN, Ahmet Cumhur DULGER
Medicine Science - 2026;15(1):177-182
The oesophageal inlet patch (OIP) is a congenital heterotopic gastric mucosal anomaly located in the upper oesophagus and is often incidentally detected during endoscopy. Despite its conventionally benign classification, the potential associations of this condition with gastrointestinal pathology and systemic biochemical changes remain unclear. The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical, biochemical and histopathological characteristics of patients with OIP in comparison to a control group. A retrospective case-control study was conducted at a tertiary care centre. Patients presenting with dyspeptic complaints who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy were reviewed. The study group comprised fifty patients with endoscopically identified oesophageal inlet patches, while the control group consisted of fifty age- and symptom-matched patients without inlet patches. A comparative analysis was conducted of demographic characteristics, haematological and biochemical parameters, and histopathological findings from gastric antrum and duodenal biopsies between the groups. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of gender distribution or mean age (p>0.05). The majority of haematological and biochemical parameters showed no significant differences; however, mean corpuscular volume, direct bilirubin, albumin, ferritin (p=0.000), and CRP levels (p<0.05) differed significantly between the groups. The positivity rate for Helicobacter pylori was found to be considerably higher in the OIP group (compared to the control group (p<0.05). Additionally, the incidence of intestinal metaplasia was found to be significantly higher in the OIP group (p<0.05). The rates of atrophic gastritis and coeliac disease-related findings did not differ significantly. Patients with oesophageal inlet patch exhibit distinct histopathological features, including a higher prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection and intestinal metaplasia. These findings suggest that OIP may be associated with widespread changes in the gastric mucosa. Further prospective studies are required to clarify the clinical significance and long-term implications of this condition.
