Transnasal esophagoscopy (TNE) is a safe and inexpensive way to examine the esophagus in patients at risk for esophageal cancer and other disorders.
[6] However, it wasn't until the year 2000 when Jonathan E. Aviv, MD, published his findings on the first series of TNE he performed, that it began to have a widespread attention by ear, nose, and throat doctors.
[8] Experts in the field suggest that TNE may replace radiographic imaging of the esophagus in otolaryngology patients with reflux, globus, and dysphagia.
The scope is advanced into the ipsilateral pyriform sinus and through the esophageal inlet to the stomach, where the esophagus can be examined, with special attention paid to the gastroesophageal (GE) junction.
[10] An advantage of TNE over other more invasive cancer screening methods that require conscious sedation is that it can be performed using topical anesthesia alone with the patient sitting upright in an exam chair unencumbered by cardiac monitoring equipment.