Intraoperative enteroscopy: ten years' experience at a single tertiary center.

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Surgical Endoscopy
• Diagnostic Imaging

Background:

• Intraoperative enteroscopy is an invasive endoscopic technique for complete small bowel examination.
• It allows for simultaneous diagnosis and treatment of small bowel pathologies.
• Proper patient selection and indication are crucial due to its invasive nature.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the diagnostic and therapeutic efficacy of intraoperative enteroscopy.
• To identify common pathologies diagnosed and treated using this technique.
• To assess the role of intraoperative enteroscopy in comparison to newer endoscopic methods.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 41 intraoperative enteroscopies performed over a 10-year period.
• Documentation of diagnostic yield, therapeutic interventions, and pathological findings.
• Review of patient outcomes and procedure-related complications.

Main Results:

• The procedure was diagnostic in 90.2% of patients and therapeutic in 85.4%.
• Common findings included arteriovenous malformations, NSAID-induced or Crohn's ulcers, carcinoid tumors, and Peutz-Jeghers syndrome.
• Endoscopic polypectomy was performed for hamartomas in Peutz-Jeghers syndrome patients.
• No major procedure-related complications were reported.

Conclusions:

• Intraoperative enteroscopy is a definitive diagnostic tool for complete small bowel evaluation.
• It remains valuable when double-balloon enteroscopy is not feasible or fails to visualize the entire small bowel.
• Its use can help prevent unnecessary extensive bowel resections.