A comparison of three methods of in vitro culture of human oesophageal mucosa.

Three methods of in vitro culture of human oesophageal epithelium were assessed which included the Bijou bottle, cell suspension and organ culture. The epithelium did not survive in the Bijou bottle and the cell suspension caused a growth of oesophageal fibroblasts. Organ culture proved to be the best method with survival up to ten days. Organ culture of human oesophageal epithelium provides an easy in vitro method of studying various cytotoxic factors which may play a role in reflux oesophagitis.