Double-balloon endoscopy: an effective rescue procedure after incomplete conventional colonoscopy

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Endoscopy
• Colorectal Cancer Screening

Background:

• Conventional colonoscopy completion rates are limited by factors like loop formation and sigmoid angulation.
• Incomplete colonoscopies can hinder diagnosis and treatment of colonic pathologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of double-balloon endoscopy (DBE) in completing colonoscopies after conventional attempts failed.
• To identify reasons for caecal intubation failure and assess the therapeutic impact of DBE.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 116 colonoscopy procedures in 114 patients where DBE was used to complete the examination.
• Data collected included reasons for initial failure, DBE success rate, new diagnoses, and therapeutic outcomes.

Main Results:

• Caecal intubation was successful in 88.6% of cases using DBE.
• Loop formation (61.4%) and sigmoid angulation (28.9%) were primary reasons for initial failure.
• New diagnoses, including carcinoma and adenomas, were made in 48.2% of patients, leading to polypectomy or surgery in many.

Conclusions:

• DBE is effective in completing incomplete colonoscopies, regardless of the initial cause of failure.
• The use of DBE in these cases leads to significant new diagnoses with therapeutic consequences.