Clinical Yield of Ileal Intubation During Screening Colonoscopy.

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Endoscopy
• Public Health

Background:

• Ileal intubation during screening colonoscopy (SC) can confirm examination completeness.
• Western studies suggest limited value of ileal inspection in asymptomatic patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• Determine the clinical yield of routine ileal examination during SC in the Middle East.
• Identify factors associated with successful ileal intubation in this population.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of prospectively collected SC data from a single endoscopy unit.
• Comparison of patients with cecal examination versus those with ileal intubation.
• Univariate and multivariate analyses to identify predictors of ileal intubation.

Main Results:

• Overall ileal intubation rate was 40.8% (1008/2473 patients).
• Clinically significant findings on ileoscopy were rare (1.8% overall).
• Predictors of ileal intubation included younger age, shorter cecal insertion time, gastroenterologist specialty, pediatric colonoscope use, and adequate right colon preparation.

Conclusions:

• Routine ileal intubation during SC yields low clinical value in the Middle East cohort.
• Ileal intubation is more successful in younger patients with good colon preparation, performed by gastroenterologists, and with shorter insertion times.
• Further prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings and assess the clinical value of routine terminal ileum intubation.