Capsule endoscopy and panendoscopy:A journey to the future of gastrointestinal endoscopy

In 2000,the small bowel capsule revolutionized the management of patients with small bowel disorders.Currently,the technological development achieved by the new models of double-headed endoscopic capsules,as miniaturized devices to evaluate the small bowel and colon[pan-intestinal capsule endoscopy(PCE)],makes this non-invasive procedure a disruptive concept for the management of patients with digestive disorders.This technology is expected to identify which patients will require conventional invasive endoscopic procedures(colonoscopy or balloon-assisted enteroscopy),based on the lesions detected by the capsule,i.e.,those with an indication for biopsies or endoscopic treatment.The use of PCE in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases,namely Crohn’s disease,as well as in patients with iron deficiency anaemia and/or overt gastrointestinal(GI)bleeding,after a non-diagnostic upper endoscopy(esophagogastroduodenoscopy),enables an effective,safe and comfortable way to identify patients with relevant lesions,who should undergo subsequent invasive endoscopic procedures.The recent development of magnetically controlled capsule endoscopy to evaluate the upper GI tract,is a further step towards the possibility of an entirely non-invasive assessment of all the segments of the digestive tract,from mouth-to-anus,meeting the expectations of the early developers of capsule endoscopy.

Detachable string magnetically controlled capsule endoscopy for the noninvasive diagnosis of esophageal diseases:A prospective,blind clinical study

BACKGROUND Traditional esophagogastroduodenoscopy(EGD),an invasive examination method,can cause discomfort and pain in patients.In contrast,magnetically controlled capsule endoscopy(MCE),a noninvasive method,is being applied for the detection of stomach and small intestinal diseases,but its application in treating esophageal diseases is not widespread.AIM To evaluate the safety and efficacy of detachable string MCE(ds-MCE)for the diagnosis of esophageal diseases.METHODS Fifty patients who had been diagnosed with esophageal diseases were pros-pectively recruited for this clinical study and underwent ds-MCE and conven-tional EGD.The primary endpoints included the sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,negative predictive value,and diagnostic accuracy of ds-MCE for patients with esophageal diseases.The secondary endpoints consisted of visualizing the esophageal and dentate lines,as well as the subjects'tolerance of the procedure.RESULTS Using EGD as the gold standard,the sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,negative predictive value,and diagnostic accuracy of ds-MCE for esophageal disease detection were 85.71%,86.21%,81.82%,89.29%,and 86%,respectively.ds-MCE was more comfortable and convenient than EGD was,with 80%of patients feeling that ds-MCE examination was very comfortable or comfortable and 50%of patients believing that detachable string v examination was very convenient.CONCLUSION This study revealed that ds-MCE has the same diagnostic effects as traditional EGD for esophageal diseases and is more comfortable and convenient than EGD,providing a novel noninvasive method for treating esophageal diseases.

Clinical and demographic features of patients undergoing videocapsule endoscopy management:A descriptive study

BACKGROUND Video-capsule endoscopy(VCE)is an efficient tool that has proven to be highly useful in approaching several gastrointestinal diseases.VCE was implemented in Colombia in 2003,however current characterization of patients undergoing VCE in Colombia is limited,and mainly comes from two investigations conducted before the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic period.AIM To describe the characteristics of patients undergoing VCEs and establish the main indications,findings,technical limitations,and other outstanding features.METHODS A descriptive study was carried out using data from reports of VCE(PillCam SB3 system)use in a Gastroenterology Unit in Bogotá,Colombia between September 2019 and January 2023.Demographic and clinical variables such as indication for the VCE,gastric and small bowel transit times(GTT,SBTT),endoscopic preparation quality,and limitations were described[n(%),median(IQR)].RESULTS A total of 133 VCE reports were analyzed.Most were in men with a median age of 70 years.The majority had good preparation(96.2%),and there were technical limitations in 15.8%of cases.The main indications were unexplained anemia(91%)or occult bleeding(23.3%).The median GTT and SBTT were 14 and 30 minutes,respectively.The frequencies of bleeding stigma(3.79%)and active bleeding(9.09%)were low,and the most frequent abnormal findings were red spots(28.3%),erosions(17.6%),and vascular ectasias(12.5%).CONCLUSION VCE showed high-level safety.The main indication was unexplained anemia.Active bleeding was the most frequent finding.Combined with artificial intelligence,VCE can improve diagnostic precision and targeted therapeutic interventions.

Convolutional neural network-based segmentation network applied to image recognition of angiodysplasias lesion under capsule endoscopy

BACKGROUND Small intestinal vascular malformations(angiodysplasias)are common causes of small intestinal bleeding.While capsule endoscopy has become the primary diagnostic method for angiodysplasia,manual reading of the entire gastrointestinal tract is time-consuming and requires a heavy workload,which affects the accuracy of diagnosis.AIM To evaluate whether artificial intelligence can assist the diagnosis and increase the detection rate of angiodysplasias in the small intestine,achieve automatic disease detection,and shorten the capsule endoscopy(CE)reading time.METHODS A convolutional neural network semantic segmentation model with a feature fusion method,which automatically recognizes the category of vascular dysplasia under CE and draws the lesion contour,thus improving the efficiency and accuracy of identifying small intestinal vascular malformation lesions,was proposed.Resnet-50 was used as the skeleton network to design the fusion mechanism,fuse the shallow and depth features,and classify the images at the pixel level to achieve the segmentation and recognition of vascular dysplasia.The training set and test set were constructed and compared with PSPNet,Deeplab3+,and UperNet.RESULTS The test set constructed in the study achieved satisfactory results,where pixel accuracy was 99%,mean intersection over union was 0.69,negative predictive value was 98.74%,and positive predictive value was 94.27%.The model parameter was 46.38 M,the float calculation was 467.2 G,and the time length to segment and recognize a picture was 0.6 s.CONCLUSION Constructing a segmentation network based on deep learning to segment and recognize angiodysplasias lesions is an effective and feasible method for diagnosing angiodysplasias lesions.

Drug-induced entero-colitis due to interleukin-17 inhibitor use;capsule endoscopic findings and pathological characteristics:A case report

BACKGROUND Interleukin-17(IL-17)inhibitors are known to cause exacerbation or new onset of inflammatory bowel disease upon administration.However,few reports have described characteristic endoscopic and histopathologic findings,and no small intestinal lesions have been reported so far.CASE SUMMARY A woman in her 60s with psoriasis was administered ixekizumab(IXE),an anti-IL-17A antibody,for the treatment of psoriasis.Twenty months after commencing treatment,the patient visited our hospital because of persistent diarrhea.Blood tests performed at the time of the visit revealed severe inflammation,and colonoscopy revealed multiple round ulcers throughout the colon.A tissue biopsy of the ulcer revealed infiltration of inflammatory cells and granuloma-like findings in the submucosal layer.Capsule endoscopy revealed multiple jejunal erosions.After the withdrawal of IXE,the symptoms gradually improved,and ulcer reduction and scarring of the colon were endoscopically confirmed.CONCLUSION To the best of our knowledge,17 reports have documented IL-17 inhibitorinduced entero-colitis with endoscopic images,endoscopic findings,and pathological characteristics,including the present case.Nine of these cases showed diffuse loss of vascular pattern,coarse mucosa/ulcer formation in the left colon,and endoscopic findings similar to those of ulcerative colitis.In the remaining eight cases,discontinuous erosions and ulcerations from the terminal ileum to the rectum were seen,with endoscopic findings similar to those of Crohn’s disease.In this case,the findings were confirmed by capsule endoscopy,which has not been previously reported.

Adaptive feature extraction method for capsule endoscopy images

The traditional feature-extraction method of oriented FAST and rotated BRIEF(ORB)detects image features based on a fixed threshold;however,ORB descriptors do not distinguish features well in capsule endoscopy images.Therefore,a new feature detector that uses a new method for setting thresholds,called the adaptive threshold FAST and FREAK in capsule endoscopy images(AFFCEI),is proposed.This method,first constructs an image pyramid and then calculates the thresholds of pixels based on the gray value contrast of all pixels in the local neighborhood of the image,to achieve adaptive image feature extraction in each layer of the pyramid.Subsequently,the features are expressed by the FREAK descriptor,which can enhance the discrimination of the features extracted from the stomach image.Finally,a refined matching is obtained by applying the grid-based motion statistics algorithm to the result of Hamming distance,whereby mismatches are rejected using the RANSAC algorithm.Compared with the ASIFT method,which previously had the best performance,the average running time of AFFCEI was 4/5 that of ASIFT,and the average matching score improved by 5%when tracking features in a moving capsule endoscope.

Negative capsule endoscopy in patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding reliable: Recurrence of bleeding on long-term follow-up

AIM: To assess the rate of recurrent bleeding of the small bowel in patients with obscure bleeding already undergone capsule endoscopy (CE) with negative results. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records related to 696 consecutive CE performed from December 2002 to January 2011, focusing our attention on patients with recurrence of obscure bleeding and negative CE. Evaluating the patient follow-up, we analyzed the recurrence rate of obscure bleeding in patient with a negative CE. Actuarial rates of rebleeding during follow-up were calculated, and factors associated with rebleeding were assessed through an univariate and multivariate analysis. A P value of less than 0.05 was regarded as statistically significant. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV) of negative CE were calculated. RESULTS: Two hundred and seven out of 696 (29.7%) CE studies resulted negative in patient with obscure/overt gastrointestinal bleeding. Overall, 489 CE (70.2%) were positive studies. The median follow-up was 24 mo (range 12-36 mo). During follow-up, recurrence of obscure bleeding was observed only in 34 out of 207 negative CE patients (16.4%); 26 out of 34 with obscure overt bleeding and 8 out of 34 with obscure occult bleeding. The younger age (< 65 years) and the onset of bleeding such as melena are independent risk factors of rebleeding after a negative CE (OR = 2.6703, 95%CI: 1.1651-6.1202, P = 0.0203; OR 4.7718, 95%CI: 1.9739-11.5350, P = 0.0005). The rebleeding rate (CE+ vs CE-) was 16.4% vs 45.1% (χ 2 test, P = 0.00001). The sensitivity, specificity, and PPV and NPV were 93.8%, 100%, 100%, 80.1%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding and negative CE had a significantly lower rebleeding rate, and further invasive investigations can be deferred.

Effect of longer battery life on small bowel capsule endoscopy

AIM:To determine if longer battery life improves capsule endoscopy(CE) completion rates.METHODS:A retrospective study was performed at a tertiary,university-affiliated hospital in Vancouver,Canada.Patients who underwent CE with either PillCamTM SB2 or SB2 U between 01/2010 and 12/2013 were considered for inclusion.SB2 and SB2 U share identical physical dimensions but differ in their battery lives(8 h vs 12 h).Exclusion criteria included history of gastric or small bowel surgery,endoscopic placement of CE,interrupted view of major landmarks due to technical difficulty or significant amount of debris,and repeat CE using same system.Basic demographics,comorbidities,medications,baseline bowel habits,and previous surgeries were reviewed.Timing of major landmarks in CE were recorded,and used to calculate gastric transit time,small bowel transit time,and total recording time.A complete CE study was defined as visualization of cecum.Transit times and completion rates were compared.RESULTS:Four hundred and eight patients,including 208(51.0%) males,were included for analysis.The mean age was 55.5 ± 19.3 years.The most common indication for CE was gastrointestinal bleeding(n =254,62.3%),followed by inflammatory bowel disease(n =86,21.1%).There was no difference in gastric transit times(group difference 0.90,95%CI:0.72-1.13,P =0.352) and small bowel transit times(group difference 1.07,95%CI:0.95-1.19,P =0.261) between SB2 U and SB2,but total recording time was about 14% longer in the SB2 U group(95%CI:10%-18%,P < 0.001) and there was a corresponding trend toward higher completion rate(88.2% vs 93.2%,OR =1.78,95%CI 0.88-3.63,P =0.111).There was no statistically significant difference in the rates of positive findings(OR =0.98,95%CI:0.64-1.51,P =0.918).CONCLUSION:Extending the operating time of CE may be a simple method to improve completion rate although it does not affect the rate of positive findings.

Fields of applications,diagnostic yields and findings of OMOM capsule endoscopy in 2400 Chinese patients

AIM:To retrospectively analyze the fields of application,diagnostic yields and findings of OMOM capsule endoscopy in Chinese patients.METHODS:A database including 2400 Chinese patients who received OMOM capsule endoscopy in 27 endoscopy centers in China was retrieved from the Jianshan Science and Technology Ltd.OMOM capsule endoscopy database.The patient's age,gender,fields of application,the potentially relevant findings,pyloric transit time(PTT),small bowel transit time(SBTT),and complete small-bowel examination rate(CSER) were recorded and analyzed.RESULTS:Two thousand four hundred patients aged 9-91 years(mean,49 years),of whom 1510 were males(62.9%),underwent 2400 OMOM capsule endoscopy procedures.One thousand two hundred and thirty two(51.3%) were referred with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding(OGIB),642(26.8%) with abdominal pain,and 223(9.3%) with chronic diarrhea.The overall diagnostic yield was 47.7%(1144/2400).The diagnostic yield of OMOM capsule endoscopy in OGIB subgroup was much higher than in the non-OGIB subgroup(62.4% vs 32.1%,P<0.001).The most common findings of the small bowel in Chinese patients with OGIB were arteriovenous malformation(28.1%) and tumors(18.9%).There was no significant difference in the diagnostic yield between the male and female patients with OGIB.However,the diagnostic yield in patients aged more than 60 was higher than in patients aged less than 60(69.8% vs 58.9%,P<0.001).The median PTT was 41 min(range:1-544 min) and the mean SBTT was 247.2 ± 88.9 min.The overall CSER was 86.8%.CONCLUSION:The OMOM capsule endoscopy is a valuable tool for small bowel evaluation with good overall diagnostic yield and CSER.

Different roles of capsule endoscopy and double-balloon enteroscopy in obscure small intestinal diseases

AIM: To compare the roles of capsule endoscopy(CE)and double-balloon enteroscopy(DBE) in the diagnosis of obscure small bowel diseases.METHODS: From June 2009 to December 2014, 88 patients were included in this study; the patients had undergone gastroscopy, colonoscopy, radiological small intestinal barium meal, abdominal computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging scan and mesenteric angiography, but their diagnoses were still unclear. The patients with gastrointestinal obstructions,fistulas, strictures, or cardiac pacemakers, as well as pregnant women, and individuals who could not accept the capsule-retention or capsule-removal surgery were excluded. Patients with heart, lung and other vital organ failure diseases were also excluded. Everyone involved in this study had undergone CE and DBE. The results were divided into:(1) the definite diagnosis(the diagnosis was confirmed at least by one of the biopsy,surgery, pathology or the drug treatment effects with follow-up for at least 3 mo);(2) the possible diagnosis(a possible diagnosis was suggested by CE or DBE,but not confirmed by the biopsy, surgery or follow-up drug treatment effects); and(3) the unclear diagnosis(no exact causes were provided by CE and DBE for the disease). The detection rate and the diagnostic yield of the two methods were compared. The differencein the etiologies between CE and DBE was estimated,and the different possible etiologies caused by the age groups were also investigated.RESULTS: CE exhibited a better trend than DBE for diagnosing scattered small ulcers(P = 0.242, Fisher's test), and small vascular malformations(χ 2 = 1.810,P = 0.179, Pearson χ 2 test), but with no significant differences, possible due to few cases. However,DBE was better than CE for larger tumors(P =0.018, Fisher's test) and for diverticular lesions with bleeding ulcers(P = 0.005, Fisher's test). All three hemangioma cases diagnosed by DBE in this study(including sponge hemangioma, venous hemangioma,and hemangioma with hamartoma lesions) were all confirmed by biopsy. Two parasite cases were found by CE, but were negative by DBE. This study revealed no obvious differences in the detection rates(DR) of CE(60.0%, 53/88) and DBE(59.1%, 52/88). However,the etiological diagnostic yield(DY) difference was apparent. The CE diagnostic yield was 42.0%(37/88),and the DBE diagnostic yield was 51.1%(45/88).Furthermore, there were differences among the age groups(χ 2 = 22.146, P = 0.008, Kruskal Wallis Test). Small intestinal cancer(5/6 cases), vascular malformations(22/29 cases), and active bleeding(3/4cases) appeared more commonly in the patients over50 years old, but diverticula with bleeding ulcers were usually found in the 15-25-year group(4/7cases). The over-25-year group accounted for the stromal tumors(10/12 cases).CONCLUSION: CE and DBE each have their own advantages and disadvantages. The appropriate choice depends on the patient's age, tolerance, and clinical manifestations. Sometimes CE followed by DBE is necessary.

Long-term outcome in patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding after negative capsule endoscopy

AIM:To investigate long-term outcome in obscure gastrointestinal bleeding(OGIB) after negative capsule endoscopy(CE) and identify risk factors for rebleeding.METHODS:A total of 113 consecutive patients underwent CE for OGIB from May 2003 to June 2010 at Seoul National University Hospital.Ninety-five patients(84.1%) with a subsequent follow-up after CE of at least 6 mo were enrolled in this study.Follow-up data were obtained from the patients' medical records.The CE images were reviewed by two board-certified gastroenterologists and consensus diagnosis was used in all cases.The primary outcome measure was the detection of rebleeding after CE,and factors associated with rebleeding were evaluated using multivariate analysis.RESULTS:Of the 95 enrolled patients(median age 61 years,range 17-85 years),62 patients(65.3%) were male.The median duration of follow-up was 23.7 mo(range 6.0-89.4 mo).Seventy-three patients(76.8%) underwent CE for obscure-overt bleeding.Complete examination of the small bowel was achieved in 77 cases(81.1%).Significant lesions were found in 38 patients(40.0%).The overall rebleeding rate was 28.4%.The rebleeding rate was higher in patients with positive CE(36.8%) than in those with negative CE(22.8%).However,there was no significant difference in cumulative rebleeding rates between the two groups(log rank test;P = 0.205).Anticoagulation after CE examination was an independent risk factor for rebleeding(hazard ratio,5.019;95%CI,1.560-16.145;P = 0.007),regardless of CE results.CONCLUSION:Patients with OGIB and negative CE have a potential risk of rebleeding.Therefore,close observation is required and alternative modalities should be considered in suspicious cases.

Small-bowel capsule endoscopy: A ten-point contemporary review

The introduction of capsule endoscopy (CE) in clinical practice increased the interest for the study of the small-bowel. Consequently, in about 10 years, an impressive quantity of literature on indications, diagnostic yield (DY), safety profile and technical evolution of CE has been published as well as several reviews. At present time, there are 5 small-bowel capsule enteroscopy (SBCE) models in the worldwide market. Head-to-head trials have showed in the great majority of studies comparable results in terms of DY, image quality and completion rate. CE meta-analyses formed the basis of national/international guidelines; these guidelines place CE in a prime position for the diagnostic work-up of patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding, known and/or suspected Crohn's disease and possible small-bowel neoplasia. A 2-L polyethylene glycol-based purge, administered the day before the procedure,is the most widely practiced preparation regimen. Whether this regimen can be further improved (i.e. , by further decreasing its volume, changing the timing of administration, coupling it with prokinetics and/or other factors) or if it can really affect the DY, is still under discussion. Faecal calprotectin has been used in SBCE studies in two settings: in patients taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, to evaluate the type and extent of mucosal damage and, more importantly from a clinical point of view, in patients with known or suspected Crohn's disease for assessment of inflam-mation activity. Although there is still a lot of debate around the exact reasons of SBCE poor performance in various small-bowel segments, it is worth to remember that the capsule progress is non-steerable, hence more rapid in the proximal than in lower segments of the small-bowel. Capsule aspiration, a relatively unexpected complication, has been reported with increasing frequency. This is probably related with the increase in the mean age of patients undergoing CE. CE video review is a time-consuming procedure. Therefore, several attempts have been made to develop technical software features, in order to make CE video analysis easier and shorter (without jeopardizing its accuracy). Suspected Blood Indicator, QuickView and Fujinon Intelligent Chromo Endoscopy are some of the software tools that have been checked in various clinical studies to date.

Capsule endoscopy:the road ahead

Since its introduction into clinical practice 15 years ago,capsule endoscopy(CE)has become the first-line investigation procedure in some small bowel pathologies,and more recently,dedicated esophageal and colon CE have expanded the fields of application to include the upper and lower gastrointestinal disorders.During this time,CE has become increasingly popular among gastroenterologists,with more than 2 million capsule examinations performed worldwide,and nearly 3000Pub Med-listed studies on its different aspects published.This huge interest in CE may be explained by its noninvasive nature,patient comfort,safety,and access to anatomical regions unattainable via conventional endoscopy.However,CE has several limitations which impede its wider clinical applications,including the lack of therapeutic capabilities,inability to obtain biopsies and control its locomotion.Several research groups are currently working to overcome these limitations,while novel devices able to control capsule movement,obtain high quality images,insufflate the gut lumen,perform chromoendoscopy,biopsy of suspect lesions,or even deliver targeted drugs directly to specific sites are under development.Overlooking current limitations,especially as some of them have already been successfully surmounted,and based on the tremendous progress in technology,it is expected that,by the end of next 15years,CE able to perform both diagnostic and therapeutic procedures will remain the major form of digestive endoscopy.This review summarizes the literature that prognosticates about the future developments of CE.

Comparison of the diagnostic yield and outcomes between standard 8 h capsule endoscopy and the new 12 h capsule endoscopy for investigating small bowel pathology

AIM: To evaluate the completion rate and diagnostic yield of the Pill Cam SB2-ex in comparison to the Pill Cam SB2.METHODS:Two hundred cases using the 8-h Pill Cam SB2 were retrospectively compared to 200 cases using the 12 h Pill Cam SB2-ex at a tertiary academic center.Endoscopically placed capsules were excluded from the study.Demographic information,indications for capsule endoscopy,capsule type,study length,completion of exam,clinically significant findings,timestamp of most distant finding,and significant findings beyond 8 h were recorded.RESULTS:The 8 and 12 h capsule groups were well matched respectively for both age(70.90±14.19vs 71.93±13.80,P=0.46)and gender(45.5%vs48%male,P=0.69).The most common indications for the procedure in both groups were anemia and obscure gastrointestinal bleeding.Pill Cam SB2-ex had a significantly higher completion rate than Pill Cam SB2(88%vs 79.5%,P=0.03).Overall,the diagnostic yield was greater for the 8 h capsule(48.5%for SB2vs 35%for SB2-ex,P=0.01).In 4/70(5.7%)of abnormal SB2-ex exams the clinically significant findingwas noted in the small bowel beyond the 8 h mark.CONCLUSION:In our study,we found the Pill Cam SB2-ex to have a significantly increased completion rate,though without any improvement in diagnostic yield compared to the Pill Cam SB2.

Oral purgative and simethicone before small bowel capsule endoscopy

AIM:To evaluate small bowel cleansing quality,diagnostic yield and transit time,comparing three cleansing protocols prior to capsule endoscopy.METHODS:Sixty patients were prospectively enrolled and randomized to one of the following cleansing protocols:patients in Group A underwent a 24 h liquid diet and overnight fasting;patients in Group B followed protocol A and subsequently were administered 2 L of polyethylene glycol(PEG) the evening before the procedure;patients in Group C followed protocol B and were additionally administered 100 mg of simethicone 30 min prior to capsule ingestion.Small bowel cleansing was independently assessed by two experienced endoscopists and classified as poor,fair,good or excellent according to the proportion of small bowel mucosa under perfect conditions for visualization.When there was no agreement between the two endoscopists,the images were reviewed and discussed until a consensus was reached.The preparation was considered acceptable if > 50% or adequate if > 75% of the mucosa was in perfect cleansing condition.The amount of bubbles was assessed independently and it was considered significant if it prevented a correct interpretation of the images.Positive endoscopic findings,gastric emptying time(GET) and small bowel transit time(SBTT) were recorded for each examination.RESULTS:There was a trend favoring Group B in achieving an acceptable(including fair,good or excellent) level of cleansing(Group A:65%;Group B:83.3%;Group C:68.4%) [P = not significant(NS)] and favoring Group C in attaining an excellent level of cleansing(Group A:10%;Group B:16.7%;Group C:21.1%)(P = NS).The number of patients with an adequate cleansing of the small bowel,corresponding to an excellent or good classification,was 5(25%) in Group A,5(27.8%) in Group B and 4(21.1%) in Group C(P = 0.892).Conversely,7 patients(35%) in Group A,3 patients(16.7%) in Group B and 6 patients(31.6%) in Group C were considered to have poor small bowel cleansing(P = 0.417),with significant fluid or debris such that the examination was unreliable.The proportion of patients with a significant amount of bubbles was 50% in Group A,27.8% in Group B and 15.8% in Group C(P = 0.065).This was significantly lower in Group C when compared to Group A(P = 0.026).The mean GET was 27.8 min for Group A,27.2 min for Group B and 40.7 min for Group C(P = 0.381).The mean SBTT was 256.4 min for Group A,256.1 min for Group B and 258.1 min for Group C(P = 0.998).Regarding to the rate of complete examinations,the capsule reached the cecum in 20 patients(100%) in Group A,16 patients(88.9%) in Group B and 17 patients(89.5%) in Group C(P = 0.312).A definite diagnosis based on relevant small bowel endoscopic lesions was established in 60% of the patients in Group A(12 patients),44.4% in Group B(8 patients) and 57.8% in Group C(11 patients)(P = 0.587).CONCLUSION:Preparation with 2 L of PEG before small bowel capsule endoscopy(SBCE) may improve small bowel cleansing and the quality of visualization.Simethicone may further reduce intraluminal bubbles.No significant differences were found regarding GET,SBTT and the proportion of complete exploration or diagnostic yield among the three different cleansing protocols.

Screening pre-bariatric surgery patients for esophageal disease with esophageal capsule endoscopy

AIM:To determine if esophageal capsule endoscopy(ECE)is an adequate diagnostic alternative to esophagogastroduodenoscopy(EGD)in pre-bariatric surgery patients.METHODS:We conducted a prospective pilot study to assess the diagnostic accuracy of ECE(PillCam ESO2,Given Imaging)vs conventional EGD in pre-bariatric surgery patients.Patients who were scheduled for bariatric surgery and referred for pre-operative EGD were prospectively enrolled.All patients underwent ECE followed by standard EGD.Two experienced gastroenterologists blinded to the patient’s history and the findings of the EGD reviewed the ECE and documented their findings.The gold standard was the findings on EGD.RESULTS:Ten patients with an average body mass index of 50 kg/m2were enrolled and completed the study.ECE identified 11 of 14(79%)positive esophageal/gastroesophageal junction(GEJ)findings and 14of 17(82%)combined esophageal and gastric findings identified on EGD.Fisher’s exact test was used to compare the findings and no significant difference was found between ECE and EGD(P=0.64 for esophageal/GEJ and P=0.66 for combined esophageal and gastric findings respectively).Of the positive esophageal/GEJ findings,ECE failed to identify the following:hiatal hernia in two patients,mild esophagitis in two patients,and mild Schatzki ring in two patients.ECE was able to identify the entire esophagus in 100%,gastric cardia in0%,gastric body in 100%,gastric antrum in 70%,pylorus in 60%,and duodenum in 0%.CONCLUSION:There were no significant differences in the likelihood of identifying a positive finding using ECE compared with EGD in preoperative evaluation of bariatric patients.

Video capsule endoscopy:Perspectives of a revolutionary technique

Video capsule endoscopy (VCE) was launched in 2000 and has revolutionized direct endoscopic imaging of the gut. VCE is now a first-line procedure for exploring the small bowel in cases of obscure digestive bleeding and is also indicated in some patients with Crohn&#x02019;s disease, celiac disease, and polyposis syndrome. A video capsule has also been designed for visualizing the esophagus in order to detect Barrett&#x02019;s esophagus or esophageal varices. Different capsules are now available and differ with regard to dimensions, image acquisition rate, battery life, field of view, and possible optical enhancements. More recently, the use of VCE has been extended to exploring the colon. Within the last 5 years, tremendous developments have been made toward increasing the capabilities of the colon capsule. Although colon capsule cannot be proposed as a first-line colorectal cancer screening procedure, colon capsule may be used in patients with incomplete colonoscopy or in patients who are unwilling to undergo colonoscopy. In the near future, new technological developments will improve the diagnostic yield of VCE and broaden its therapeutic capabilities.

Capsule endoscopy of the future: What's on the horizon?

Capsule endoscopes have evolved from passively moving diagnostic devices to actively moving systems with potential therapeutic capability. In this review,we will discuss the state of the art, define the current shortcomings of capsule endoscopy, and address research areas that aim to overcome said shortcomings.Developments in capsule mobility schemes are emphasized in this text, with magnetic actuation being the most promising endeavor. Research groups are working to integrate sensor data and fuse it with robotic control to outperform today's standard invasive procedures, but in a less intrusive manner. With recent advances in areas such as mobility, drug delivery, and therapeutics, we foresee a translation of interventional capsule technology from the bench-top to the clinical setting within the next 10 years.

Factors associated with incomplete small bowel capsule endoscopy studies

AIM:To identify patient risk factors associated with incomplete small bowel capsule endoscopy(CE) studies.METHODS:Data from all CE procedures performed at St.Paul's Hospital in Vancouver,British Columbia,Canada,between December 2001 and June 2008 were collected and analyzed on a retrospective basis.Data collection for complete and incomplete CE study groups included patient demographics as well as a number of potential risk factors for incomplete CE including indication for the procedure,hospitalization,diabetes mellitus with or without end organ damage,limitations in mobility,renal insufficiency,past history of bowel obstruction,abdominal surgery,abdominal radiation therapy and opiate use.Risk factors were analyzed using a univariable and multivariable logistic regression model.RESULTS:From a total of 535 CE procedures performed,158 were incomplete(29.5%).The univariable analysis showed that CE procedures performed for overt gastrointestinal bleeding(P = 0.002),and for patients with a prior history of abdominal surgery(P = 0.023) or bowel obstruction(P = 0.023) were significantly associated with incomplete CE studies.Patients on opiate medications(P = 0.094) as well as hospitalized patients(P = 0.054) were not statistically significant,but did show a trend towards incomplete CE.The multivariable analysis showed that independent risk factors for an incomplete CE procedure include prior history of bowel obstruction [odds ratios(OR) 2.77,P = 0.02,95% confidence intervals(CI):1.17-6.56] and procedures performed for gastrointestinal bleeding(Occult OR 2.04,P = 0.037,95% CI:1.04-4.02 and Overt OR 2.69,P = 0.002,95% CI:1.44-5.05).Patients with a prior history of abdominal surgery(OR 1.46,P = 0.068,95% CI:0.97-2.19),those taking opiate medications(OR 1.54,P = 0.15,95% CI:0.86-2.76) and hospitalized patients(OR 1.82,P = 0.124,95% CI:0.85-3.93) showed a trend towards statistical significance.CONCLUSION:We have identified a number of risk factors for incomplete CE procedures that can be used to risk-stratify patients and guide interventions to improve completion rates.

Capsule endoscopy:Current status in obscure gastrointestinal bleeding

Capsule endoscopy (CE) is a safe, non invasive diagnostic modality for the evaluation of small bowel lesions. Obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) is one of the most important indications of capsule endoscopy. Capsule endoscopy has a very high diagnostic yield especially if the bleeding is ongoing. This technique appears to be superior to other techniques for the detection of suspected lesions and the source of bleeding. Capsule endoscopy has been shown to change the outcome in patients with obscure gastrointestinal (GI) bleed.