Longer capsule endoscopy operation time increases the rate of complete examination of the small bowel

Wireless capsule endoscopes (CEs) have become a useful diagnostic tool for small bowel diseases, but they may fail to examine the entire small bowel. We analyzed the clinical experience of the MiRo CE in patients with suspected small bowel disease to assess whether longer operation time could increase the complete examination rate of the small bowel and diagnostic yield.

A total of 96 patients with suspected small bowel disease received CE examination at 4 tertiary hospitals in Korea. The recorded information was uploaded to a computer and analyzed by the physicians responsible for each patient.

The average total capsule operation time was 11 hours and 39 minutes (range: 5 hours 18 minutes approximately 12 hours). In 87 (90.6%) out of 96 cases, the CE was able to explore the entire small bowel. In 32 cases (33.3%), it took more than 8 hours to reach the cecum. Capsule retention occurred in 2 cases (2.1%). The CE found meaningful small bowel lesions in 62 (64.6%) out of 96 total cases.

A CE with a long operation time had more chance to explore the entire small bowel even in patients with suspected small bowel disease.