[Helicobacter pylori identification by brush gastric cytology: a comparison with histologic method].

The purpose of this study was to verify the efficacy of brush gastric cytology for diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection in patients, submitted to elective gastroscopy, compared to the method of endoscopic histology. Endoscopy was performed on 157 patients, divided into two dyspeptic groups: group A (n = 27) with duodenal ulcer; and group B (n = 130) without ulcer. In group A, the percentage of positive cases detected by brush cytology (77.8%) was similar to histology (74.1%; p = 0.3). While in group B, brush cytology (71.5%) was superior to histology (63.1%; p = 0.00002). Brush cytology is a simple and useful diagnostic method. It was efficient for identification of Helicobacter pylori infection in both groups.