Clinical profile,diagnostic yield,and procedural outcomes of single balloon enteroscopy:A tertiary care hospital experience

BACKGROUND Single balloon enteroscopy(SBE)allows ease of access for small bowel visualization and has multiple diagnostic and therapeutic indications.It provides the advantage of performing various therapeutic interventions alongside the diagnostic procedure.SBE has also been considered a relatively safe procedure with no major complications.AIM To investigate the indications,safety,and clinical yield of SBE,and determine its effect on disease outcome.METHODS A retrospective,descriptive study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi,Pakistan.Medical records of 56 adult patients(≥18 years)who underwent SBE between July 2013 and December 2021 were reviewed and data were collected using a structured proforma.A descriptive analysis of the variables was performed using Statistical Package of Social Sciences Version 19.Results are reported as the mean±SD for quantitative variables and numbers and percentages for qualitative variables.Missing data are reported as unknown.RESULTS A total of 56 patients who underwent 61 SBE procedures were included.The mean age was 50.93±16.16 years,with 53.6%of them being males.Hypertension(39.3%)and diabetes mellitus(25.0%)were the most common pre-existing comorbidities.Obscure gastrointestinal bleed(39.3%)was the most common indication for enteroscopy,followed by chronic diarrhea(19.7%)and unexplained anemia(16.4%).The majority of procedures were performed in the endoscopy suite(90.2%)under monitored anaesthesia care(93.4%).Most procedures were diagnostic(91.8%)and completed without complications(95.1%).The depth of examination ranged from 95 cm to 500 cm with a mean of 282.05±90.04 cm.The most common findings were inflammation and ulcerations(29.5%),followed by masses(19.7%)and vascular malformations(14.8%).As a result of the findings,a new diagnosis was made in 47.5%of the cases and a previous one was ruled out in 24.6%of them;65.6%of the cases had a change in management.CONCLUSION SBE is a suitable modality for investigating diseases in the small bowel.It is shown to be technically efficient and reasonably safe and is associated with high diagnostic and therapeutic yield.

Two case reports of acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding from duodenal ulcers after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery: Endoscopic diagnosis and therapy by single balloon or push enteroscopy after missed diagnosis by standard esophagogastroduodenoscopy

The diagnosis and opportunity for endoscopic therapy of gastric or duodenal lesions may be missed at esophagogastroduodenoscopy(EGD) because of technical difficulty in intubating at EGD the postoperatively excluded stomach and proximal duodenum in patients status post Roux-en-Y gastric bypass(RYGB). Two cases are reported of acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding 10 or 11 years status postRYGB, performed for morbid obesity, in which the EGD was non-diagnostic due to failure to intubate the excluded stomach and proximal duodenum, whereas subsequent push enteroscopy or single balloon enteroscopy were diagnostic and revealed 4-cm-wide or 5-mm-wide bulbar ulcers and even permitted application of endoscopic therapy. These case reports suggest consideration of push enteroscopy, or single balloon enteroscopy, where available, in the endoscopic evaluation of acute UGI bleeding in patients status post RYGB surgery when the EGD was non-diagnostic because of failure to intubate these excluded segments.

Evaluation of the diagnostic and therapeutic utility of retrograde through-the-scope balloon enteroscopy and single-balloon enteroscopy

BACKGROUND Retrograde single balloon enteroscopy(SBE)is a minimally invasive procedure which is less frequently performed compared with antegrade SBE.There are few studies on the retrograde through-the-scope enteroscopy(TTSE),a novel technique for evaluation of the small bowel.AIM To compare the clinical utility and safety of retrograde TTSE with retrograde SBE.METHODS Clinical data and complications of retrograde TTSE(2014-2018)and retrograde SBE(2011-2018)performed in a community hospital were reviewed and presented as mean±SD or frequency(%)and compared using proper statistical tests.Technical success was defined as insertion of the enteroscope>20 cm beyond ileocecal valve.RESULTS Data obtained from 54 retrograde SBE in 49 patients and 27 retrograde TTSE in 26 patients were studied.The most common indication for retrograde enteroscopy was iron deficiency anemia(41 patients)followed by gastrointestinal bleeding(37 patients),and chronic diarrhea(7 patients).The duration of retrograde SBE procedure(91.9±34.2 min)was significantly longer compared with retrograde TTSE(70.5±30.7 min)(P=0.04).Technical success was comparable in TTSE[23/27(85.2%)]and SBE[41/54(75.9%)(P=0.33)].The mean depth of insertion beyond the ileocecal valve in retrograde SBE(92.5±70.0 cm)tended to be longer compared with retrograde TTSE(64.6±49.0 cm)(P=0.08).No complication was observed in this study.CONCLUSION Both retrograde TTSE and retrograde SBE are feasible and safe.Retrograde TTSE takes a shorter time and has a comparable technical success with SBE.TTSE has a lower capacity of small bowel insertion.

Role of balloon enteroscopy for obscure gastrointestinal bleeding in those with surgically altered anatomy: A systematic review

BACKGROUND Obscure gastrointestinal(GI)bleeding is defined as persistent bleeding despite negative evaluation with both esophagogastroduodenoscopy and colonoscopy and can be secondary to small intestinal pathology.Standard endoscopy as well as push endoscopy can be a challenge in those with altered anatomy given inaccessible areas as well as perforation risk.Single and double balloon enteroscopy can be warranted in this patient population in instances of obscure GI bleed.AIM To assess the safety and diagnostic efficacy of balloon enteroscopy for obscure GI bleeding in patients with surgically altered anatomy.METHODS A search was conducted through PubMed,MEDLINE,Google Scholar,Scopus,and Embase with the key words“enteroscopy,”“obscure bleeding,”and“altered anatomy,”to identify relevant articles in English with no restricted time frame.A search within the Reference Citation Analysis database was conducted to ensure inclusion of the latest high impact articles.Study types included in the review were prospective and retrospective reviews,case series,and case reports.The reference lists of these papers were also reviewed to find further papers that were applicable.The authors extracted the data from the studies that fit inclusion criteria.Data of interest included type of study,type of procedure,and type of altered anatomy,as well as the number of patients with any diagnostic or therapeutic intervention.Data was also recorded on procedure tolerance and complications.The data was analyzed with descriptive statistics.RESULTS Our literature search yielded 14 studies that were included.There were 68 procedures performed with 61 unique patients subjected to these procedures.Forty-four(65%)of the procedures were double balloon,21(31%)were single balloon,and 3(4%)were classified as through the scope balloon assisted.The most common altered anatomy types included Gastric Bypass Roux-en-Y,Pylorus Sparing Whipple,Orthotopic Liver Transplantation with Roux-en-Y,and Gastrojejunostomy Roux-en-Y.The procedures were successfully performed in each patient.There were 5(7%)procedures that were complicated by perforation.Amongst the available data,the diagnostic yield was 48/59(81%)and a therapeutic yield of 39/59(66%).One patient was recommended surgical revision of their altered anatomy following enteroscopy.CONCLUSION Balloon enteroscopy is a useful diagnostic modality in investigating obscure GI bleeding within those with surgically altered anatomy;however,precautions must be taken as this population may have increased perforation risk.

Is enteroscopy necessary for diagnosis of celiac disease?

Celiac disease （CD） is an autoimmune inflammatory disease of the small intestine as a result of reaction to wheat protein, gluten. Exclusion of dietary gluten is the mainstay of the treatment that necessitates a precise diagnosis of the disease. Serological screen ing may aid in identifying patients with suspected CD, which should be confirmed by intestinal biopsy. It has been shown that duodenal biopsies are good for de- tection of the disease in most patients. However, there is a group of patients with positive serology and incon- clusive pathology. As a result of the widespread use of serology, many patients with equivocal findings grow quickly. Unfortunately current endoscopic methods can only diagnose villous atrophy, which can be present in the later grades of disease （i.e., Marsh m）. To diag- nose CD correctly, going deeper in the intestine may be necessary. Enteroscopy can reveal changes in CD in the intestinal mucosa in 10%-17% of cases that have negative histology at initial workup. Invasiveness of the method limits its use. Capsule endoscopy may be a good substitute for enteroscopy. However, both tech- niques should be reserved for patients with suspected diagnosis of complications. This paper reviews the cur- rent literature in terms of the value of enteroscopy for diagnosis of CD.