Magnified endoscopic images of gastric MALT lymphoma before and after treatment.

fying endoscopy in the diagnosis of gas− tritis and gastric cancer has been report− ed [1, 2]. However, there have been no re− ports on magnified endoscopic images of nonepithelial gastric tumors. We con− ducted a long−term follow−up of gastric mucosa−associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma by magnifying endos− copy. The magnifying electronic video endo− scope used was a GIF−Q240Z model (Olympus Optical Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) or EG−490ZW model (Fujinon−Toshiba ES System Co., Tokyo, Japan). The MALT lym− phoma lesions were first carefully ob− served without magnification, and then lesions without erosion were observed at the best magnification. There are various conventional endoscopic images of gas− tric MALT lymphoma before treatment. However, under magnifying endoscopy some characteristics are disappearance of the gastric pits and subepithelial capil− lary network [3] and appearance of ab− normal vessels. After recovery from the lymphoma, the lesions are seen as typical atrophic−like mucosa on conventional en− doscopic views. Reappearance of the gas− tric pits and the subepithelial capillary network surrounding the gastric pits are revealed by magnifying endoscopy (l" Fig. 1). Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy has become the first−line therapy for gas− tric MALT lymphoma [4]. Observation of the surface microstructures and superfi− cial microvessels by magnifying endosco− py is useful for the diagnosis and follow− up of gastric MALT lymphoma.