▲ Professor Ji Yong Ahn is performing an endoscopy on a patient

For gastric adenoma less than 1 cm in size, tissue removal and argon plasma coagulation, involving cauterizing abnormal tissue, have been found to be effective treatments. Previously, endoscopic procedures, such as endoscopic mucosal resection and endoscopic submucosal dissection, have been recognized as effective treatments. However, they have been difficult to perform depending on the patient’s condition and lesion due to the risk of complications.

A team led by Professor Ji Yong Ahn of the Division of Gastroenterology at Asan Medical Center performed argon plasma coagulation on 618 patients with gastric low-grade dysplastic at Asan Medical Center from 2007 to 2022 and analyzed recurrence rates with an average follow-up of 30 months. The results showed that gastric adenomas smaller than 1 cm had a recurrence rate of 2.6%, which was no different from the conventional endoscopic resection. However, the recurrence rate of lesions larger than 1 cm increased to 9.5%, suggesting that careful treatment decisions and close monitoring are necessary based on the size of the gastric adenoma.

Argon plasma coagulation is a therapeutic technique in which electrical energy is delivered at the moment argon gas hits the tissue, cauterizing abnormal tissue in the gastrointestinal tract. While this technique allows for treatment without incisions or cutting, reducing the risk of complications like bleeding, it has been perceived to be unpredictable in terms of the depth of the lesion and with a high risk of recurrence. However, this study proved that argon plasma coagulation is an effective treatment with a low recurrence rate for gastric adenomas with small lesions.

Professor Professor Ji Yong Ahn said, “Argon plasma coagulation can be a low-risk, non-invasive alternative to endoscopic resection for high-risk patients, with shorter treatment time and less chance of complications.”

The study findings were recently published in ‘Gastrointestinal Endoscopy,’ the official journal of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.