Although endoscopy and biopsy are typically used to diagnose eosinophilic esophagitis, a recent study suggests that having patients swallow a miniature sponge—the cytosponge—provides a minimally invasive yet accurate alternative for diagnosing the disorder. To reach that conclusion, investigators used both methods and compared results using eosinophil counts (EoE) to gauge their relative value.

• 105 procedures were done on 80 patients.
• Researchers found a strong correlation between biopsy and cytosponge results, using EoE at or above 15 3eos/HPF as a gold standard.
• Sensitivity of cytosponge was 75%.
• Specificity of cytosponge was 86%.
• The cytosponge did not cause any complications.