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Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy in the pediatric patient
1Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petah Tikva.
Insights
Pediatric upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is safe and effective for diagnosing conditions like abdominal pain in children. Sedation is often unnecessary, as young patients tolerate the procedure well without it.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Diagnostic Endoscopy
Background:
- Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is a key diagnostic tool in pediatric care.
- Understanding the safety and efficacy of this procedure in children is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of upper gastrointestinal endoscopy in pediatric patients.
- To assess the tolerance of pediatric patients to endoscopy with or without sedation.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective review of 289 upper gastrointestinal endoscopies performed on 237 pediatric patients between January 1988 and December 1991.
- Analysis of patient demographics, indications for procedures, sedation use, and endoscopic findings.
Main Results:
- Abdominal pain was the most common indication (57.4%).
- Gastritis, esophagitis, duodenitis, and duodenal ulcers were frequent findings.
- Endoscopy for small bowel biopsies was found to be safe and preferable to capsule biopsies.
- Patients tolerated procedures well, even without sedation.
Conclusions:
- Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is a safe and effective diagnostic procedure for pediatric patients.
- Sedation is not always necessary for successful pediatric endoscopy.
- The procedure is well-tolerated by children and provides valuable diagnostic information.
Abstract:
During a 4 year period (January 1988 to December 1991), 237 pediatric patients (mean age +/- SD, 9.75 +/- 5.17 years) underwent 289 upper gastrointestinal endoscopies. Premedication was used in only 102 of the endoscopic examinations, mostly in children between 2 and 10 years of age. Patients who were examined without sedation tolerated the procedure well. Abdominal pain was the most frequent indication, accounting for 57.4% of all procedures. Gastritis, esophagitis, duodenitis and duodenal ulcer were the most common endoscopic findings. Seventy-five endoscopies were performed to obtain small bowel biopsies. We found this procedure to be easy and safe and preferable to capsule biopsies. In our experience, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy with or without sedation is a safe and effective diagnostic procedure in the pediatric age group.