20世纪70年代以前,很难得到高质量的胃粘膜活检标本。之后,柔性内窥镜的出现让肠胃科医师能从病人的胃里取出大量高质量的小活组织标本,清晰地显示了胃部细胞组织和病变。1972年,Whitehead准确地描述了只涉及浅表胃上皮的活跃性胃炎(伴有分叶核白细胞浸润和上皮细胞畸变)。1979年,本人在检查一份出现慢性炎症和活性变化的胃活组织切片时,发现粘膜表面有一条细的蓝线,上面 Before the 1970s, it was difficult to obtain high-quality gastric mucosal biopsy specimens. Later, the advent of flexible endoscopy allowed the gastroenterologist to remove large volumes of high-quality small biopsies from the patient’s stomach, clearly showing gastric tissue and lesions. In 1972, Whitehead accurately described active gastritis involving only superficial gastric epithelium with lobular leukocyte infiltration and epithelial cell distortion. In 1979, when I examined a biopsy of the stomach that showed chronic inflammation and changes in activity, I found a thin blue line on the mucosal surface, above