This study aimed to provide, as a basic material, the experiences of endoscopy in diagnosis and treatment of tumorous conditions in the upper gastrointestinal tract in children.

The objects were 26 patients diagnosed as having tumorous conditions in the upper gastrointestinal tract among 1,283 patients who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopic examination at the Department of Pediatrics, Pusan National University Hospital, from January 1994 to July 2004 retrospectively. The characteristics of patients, the chief complaints for endoscopic examination, the sorts of tumors diagnosed, the endoscopic findings of tumors, and the treatment of tumors were analysed.

1) Eleven male and fifteen female were included, whose mean age was 6.93±4.02 years. 2) The chief complaints for endoscopic examination were abdominal pain (80.7%), vomiting or nausea (30.8%), and gastrointestinal beeding (30.7%) in order. 3) Six cases of ectopic pancreas, five cases of sentinel polyp, three cases of papilloma and vallecular cyst, two cases of Brunner's gland hyperplasia and gastric submucosal tumor, one case of gastrointestinal stromal tumor, duodenal intramural hematoma, T cell lymphoma, lipoma, and Peutz-Jeghers syndrome were diagnosed by endoscopy with or without biopsy. 4) The location of tumors was in the pharynx (19.2%), esophagus (7.7%), gastro-esophageal junction (23.0%), stomach (30.7%) and duodeneum (26.9%). 5) The size of tumors was less than 10 mm in 53.8%, 10~20 mm in 26.9%, more than 20 mm 19.2%. 6) Treatments for tumors included resection by laser, surgical resection, endoscopic polypectomy with a forcep or snare, and observation 7) There was no significant complication.

Various and not a few tumors were found in the upper gastrointestinal tract. The endoscopy was accurate, effective, and safe means for diagnosis and treatment of those lesions in children.