Safety and efficacy of capsule endoscopy for patients with newly diagnosed Crohn's disease: A multicenter retrospective study

Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory disease that develops at a young age and frequently leads to intestinal resection. Capsule endoscopy (CE) can directly and non-invasively inspect the entire small bowel mucosa. We suspected that CE could be a good diagnostic tool for detecting CD in young patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of CE in patients with newly diagnosed CD and to evaluate the CE findings, especially in the upper small bowel of young patients. We retrospectively investigated 32 patients with newly diagnosed CD from 5 institutions. Patient characteristics, clinical course, and characteristics of CE findings were analyzed. The total small intestine observation rate was 93%, and the retention rate was 3% (1/32). No abnormality was identified by ileocolonoscopy in 46% (15/32), and transition of small bowel lesions (TSL) was found in 35% (12/34) of the patients. The frequency of longitudinal ulcers and cobblestones in the upper small intestine was significantly higher in younger patients (≤20 years). Moreover, positive findings in the upper small intestine were predominantly observed in younger patients (≤20 years). CE for patients with newly diagnosed CD was safe and useful, especially for the detection of upper small bowel lesions in young patients.