Small Bowel Capsule Endoscopy: Experience from a single large tertiary care centre.

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Medical Imaging
• Endoscopy

Background:

• Capsule endoscopy (CE) has revolutionized small bowel (SB) examination.
• The study addresses practical aspects and diagnostic utility of CE in a large Indian tertiary center.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe indications, diagnostic yield, and complications of CE.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of CE in a diverse patient population.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 1155 CE procedures from a prospectively maintained database (January 2013 - June 2021).
• Review of patient records for indications, results, and complications.
• Analysis of factors influencing diagnostic yield and transit time.

Main Results:

• Potential overt SB bleeding was the most frequent indication (68.6%) with a diagnostic yield of 43.9%.
• High diagnostic yields were observed for anemia (57.9%) and Crohn's disease (56.5%).
• Capsule retention occurred in 1.8% of patients, requiring surgery in 0.5%.

Conclusions:

• Capsule endoscopy is a safe and effective diagnostic tool for the small bowel.
• CE demonstrates an expanding range of clinical indications and high detection rates, particularly for bleeding.