The Clinical Usefulness of the PillCam Progress Indicator for Route Selection in Double Balloon Endoscopy

Objective The utility of capsule endoscopy (CE) findings in the route selection for double balloon endoscopy (DBE) has not been adequately discussed. The PillCam Progress Indicator in the RAPID 6.5 software program graphically demonstrates the progress of the capsule endoscope through the small-bowel. This study aimed to clarify the usefulness of the PillCam Progress Indicator in choosing the initial DBE route. Methods We retrospectively examined 50 consecutive patients with 50 target lesions detected on both CE and DBE at Hiroshima University Hospital from January 2011 to February 2018. In this study, we selected antegrade DBE on the basis of % Capsule Progress <50% as a clinical trial. The association between the PillCam Progress Indicator data and the DBE route to the target lesion was analyzed. Results The target lesion was reached via the initial DBE route in 96% (48/50) of cases. The cutoff values for selecting an antegrade route for DBE were 50% for % Capsule Progress and 42% for % SB Time. At the cutoff value, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for route selection were 100%, 91%, 93%, and 100% for % Capsule Progress and 96%, 91%, 93%, and 95% for % SB Time. Conclusion The PillCam Progress Indicator was useful for determining the appropriate initial DBE route.