Non-small-bowel lesions identification by capsule endoscopy: A single centre retrospective study

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Medical Imaging
• Endoscopy

Background:

• Capsule endoscopy (CE) is a primary method for investigating obscure gastro-intestinal bleeding (OGIB).
• Conventional endoscopy often fails to identify the source of bleeding in OGIB cases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the diagnostic yield of CE in OGIB patients.
• To determine the rate of non-small-bowel lesions missed by conventional endoscopy but detected by CE.

Main Methods:

• 290 patients with negative conventional endoscopy underwent CE for OGIB.
• Non-small-bowel lesions were defined as those outside the small intestine.
• Actively bleeding lesions were also identified.

Main Results:

• CE achieved a 73.8% diagnostic yield.
• Actively bleeding lesions were found in 39.3% of positive CE exams.
• CE detected significant non-small-bowel lesions missed by prior gastroscopy/colonoscopy in 30.3% of patients.

Conclusions:

• Capsule endoscopy demonstrates high diagnostic yield and safety for OGIB.
• The high detection rate of non-small-bowel lesions suggests considering a second endoscopic look prior to CE.