Wireless capsule endoscopy: experience in a tropical country

Capsule endoscopy is fast becoming the procedure of choice for small bowel imaging, especially to investigate the cause of unexplained gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. We report our experience with capsule endoscopy in 24 cases with various indications.

In patients with unexplained GI bleeding or chronic anemia, the cause could be established in nine of 12 cases (75%), which included angioectasiae, leiomyomata and parasitic infestation.

The yield of capsule endoscopy was highest in patients presenting with chronic diarrhea and suspicion of small bowel mucosal disease, where Crohn's disease and tuberculosis could be diagnosed. However, in patients with unexplained abdominal pain, capsule endoscopy was found to be least useful because 5/7 patients in the study were normal, emphasizing the importance of case selection. Overall, capsule endoscopy yielded a positive diagnosis in 16 of the 24 cases (66.6%).

The experience of capsule endoscopy in a tropical clinical setting is no different from elsewhere, although certain conditions like worm infestation are more likely to be detected in this environment.