Application of small bowel capsule endoscopy in children with Meckel's diverticulum

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Gastroenterology
• Diagnostic Imaging
• Endoscopy

Background:

• Meckel diverticulum (MD) is a significant cause of pediatric gastrointestinal bleeding.
• Small bowel capsule endoscopy (SBCE) is a primary tool for obscure gastrointestinal bleeding but understudied in pediatric MD.
• This study evaluates SBCE's role in diagnosing MD in children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the diagnostic accuracy of SBCE for Meckel diverticulum in children.
• To investigate the utility of SBCE in identifying characteristic findings of MD.
• To determine if combining SBCE with technetium-99 scans improves MD diagnosis.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective collection of clinical data from children with suspected MD.
• Analysis of SBCE findings, including lesion identification and characteristic changes.
• Comparison of SBCE results with technetium-99 scans in a subset of patients.

Main Results:

• SBCE identified MD in 30 of 58 children, with characteristic double-lumen changes observed.
• Combined SBCE and technetium-99 scans achieved a 91.7% diagnostic coincidence rate for MD.
• SBCE detected potential MD in 8 cases negative on technetium-99 scans, highlighting its sensitivity.

Conclusions:

• SBCE demonstrates high accuracy in diagnosing Meckel diverticulum in pediatric patients.
• The combination of SBCE and technetium-99 scans significantly increases the diagnostic rate of pediatric MD.
• SBCE is a valuable tool for diagnosing MD, particularly in cases with obscure bleeding.