GERD: A New Understanding of Pathology, Pathophysiology, and Treatment transforms the assessment of GERD from clinical definition and management to a more objective, scientific basis that is dependent on the pathologic assessment of biopsies, thus transforming the way GERD is defined. It provides an examination on how the esophagus develops, the genetic signals that determine its epithelial composition through fetal life, and the way exposure of the esophagus to gastric juice causes damage. Identification of cellular changes provides new pathologic criteria for the diagnosis of GERD and delivers an accurate method of assessment of severity of damage.

By providing new techniques of diagnosis of sphincter damage, new methods of identifying patients who will remain controlled with medical therapy emerge, this book helps readers gain early intervention techniques.

Key Features
Provides a new method of assessment for GERD that has never previously been presented, creating a new pathway to control
Describes GERD from the basis of pathologic changes that can be defined by standard biopsy protocols
Includes chapters that outline the way GERD progresses from the perspective of the amount of damage done to the lower esophageal sphincter
Readership
Basic scientists, internists, gastroenterologists, foregut surgeons, and pathologists (general and GI)

Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Fetal development of the esophagus
3. Histologic definition of epithelial types in the esophagus and proximal stomach
4. The Normal Fully Developed Esophagus
5. Mechanism of Early Esophageal Damage in GERD
6. The Dilated Distal Esophagus
7. Histologic Assessment of Lower Esophageal Sphincter Damage
8. Evolution of cardiac epithelium
9. Intra-sphincteric Reflux Disease
10. Trans-sphincteric reflux disease
11. Asymptomatic GERD
12. Non-erosive Reflux Disease
13. Erosive Esophagitis
14. Present Management of GERD
15. Columnar Lined Esophagus (CLE)
16. Barrett Esophagus
17. Progression of Barrett esophagus to adenocarcinoma
18. Present methods of prevention of Esophageal adenocarcinoma
19: A new rationale for preventing esophageal adenocarcinoma
20. Linearity of Progression of lower esophageal sphincter damage
21. Interventions in patients predicted to progress to severe sphincter damage
22. A new management of GERD
23. The Goal of the Book