Age and video capsule endoscopy in obscure gastrointestinal bleeding: a prospective study on hospitalized patients

The influence of aging on video capsule endoscopy (VCE) in obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) has never been prospectively assessed.

To demonstrate if age is a risk factor for incomplete VCE examination in a setting of ongoing hospitalization for OGIB and if it affects the yield of VCE.

Forty-eight consecutive patients referred to our unit for obscure-overt GI bleeding from March 2007 to September 2009 were prospectively evaluated. Patients were divided into two groups according to their age: ≤65 years (group A) and >65 years (group B). The VCE completion rate and clinically significant findings were studied.

The cecum was reached in 73% of patients. There was no difference between the two groups of patients in the VCE completion rate (78% vs. 68%, P=0.4). The overall diagnostic yield was 61%. A significant difference in the diagnostic yield between group A and group B (45% vs. 75%, P=0.04) was shown. Angiodysplasia was diagnosed in 13 out of 24 (54%) patients of group B, whereas mucosal breaks, such as erosions or ulcers, accounted for over a quarter of the group A findings.

Old age is not a risk factor for incomplete VCE examination and it is associated with increased VCE yield.