News

BMI Ross Hall Hospital in Glasgow is the first private hospital in Scotland to offer the new non-surgical HALO radiofrequency ablation system for treatment of Barrett’s oesophagus, giving patients a wider choice of treatment for a condition that affects approximately 375,000 people in the UK.  

Barrett's oesophagus is a condition where stomach acid backs up into the oesophagus (the muscular tube that connects the mouth to the stomach) causing injury to the oesophageal lining. The majority of patients with Barrett's oesophagus may only suffer from heartburn, but a few can develop problems such as ulcers in the gullet or a narrowing of the gullet called a stricture. For approximately 10% of patients, Barrett's oesophagus can gradually lead to cancer of the gullet or upper stomach.  Because of this risk, Barrett’s patients undergo a lifetime of ‘wait and see’ monitoring with regular endoscopic examinations to detect any progression to more severe stages of the disease or to cancer.

Some patients with severe stages of Barrett’s may have an endoscopic procedure to remove the diseased tissue, but the majority of those diagnosed with high-grade dysplasia (abnormal cell growth at the immediate pre-cancer stage) are recommended to undergo a major operation to remove the oesophagus – a procedure that can have a significant impact on the patient’s normal lifestyle.

The HALO system, available at BMI Ross Hall Hospital, delivers a pre-set amount of radiofrequency heat energy to the oesophageal lining through a catheter balloon, completely removing the diseased tissue without damage to the normal underlying structures. This procedure is done in an outpatient setting using conscious sedation, involves no incisions and has a procedure time of less than 45 minutes. New healthy tissue replaces the ablated Barrett’s tissue in three to four weeks for most patients.

“We are very pleased to offer Barrett’s patients who wish to avoid the anxiety of ‘wait and see’ oesophageal monitoring, a safe, simple and non-surgical way of removing the diseased tissue,” said Mr Grant Fullarton, consultant surgeon at BMI Ross Hall Hospital . “We think that patients will be relieved and happy to know that they now have more options for treatment."