Diagnostic yield of 335 push video-enteroscopies

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Endoscopy
• Small Bowel Diseases

Background:

• Diagnostic yield of push enteroscopy (PE) varies significantly across studies.
• Accurate diagnosis of small-bowel conditions remains challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the endoscopic and histological diagnostic yield of PE.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of PE in a specific health area.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study of 355 patients undergoing PE from 1997-2003.
• PE performed under sedation without an overtube.
• Small-bowel biopsies obtained in 56% of cases.

Main Results:

• PE detected lesions in 34% of patients.
• Major findings included malabsorptive diseases (14%), nonspecific enteropathy (5%), and angiodysplasia (3.5%).
• Diagnostic yield was higher for abnormal radiographic findings (62%), chronic diarrhea (37%), and ODB (31%).

Conclusions:

• PE is a safe and valuable tool for small-bowel disease evaluation.
• PE is particularly effective for indications like abnormal radiographic findings, chronic diarrhea, and ODB.
• Small-bowel biopsy significantly increases diagnostic yield in patients with chronic diarrhea.