Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Feb;13(2):88-93.

Evidence-Based Guide on Capsule Endoscopy for Small Bowel Bleeding

Shabana F Pasha  1 , Jonathan A Leighton  1
Affiliations

Evidence-Based Guide on Capsule Endoscopy for Small Bowel Bleeding

Shabana F Pasha et al. Gastroenterol Hepatol (N Y). 2017 Feb.

Abstract

Capsule endoscopy is the diagnostic test of choice for the evaluation of overt and occult small bowel bleeding. Its yield is higher in patients presenting with overt bleeding. The yield is also improved if the capsule is performed soon after the presentation of bleeding. Capsule endoscopy has a complementary role with cross-sectional imaging to triage patients for appropriate management, including deep enteroscopy, surgery, or, if negative, conservative management. Although capsule endoscopy is useful to detect vascular and inflammatory lesions, it appears to have a significant miss rate for solitary small bowel lesions, including tumors. The main adverse event is capsule retention in patients with underlying small bowel obstruction.

Keywords: Capsule endoscopy; computed tomography enterography; deep enteroscopy; double-balloon enteroscopy; obscure gastrointestinal bleeding; small bowel.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
A large angioectasia in the proximal small bowel detected on capsule endoscopy.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
A diaphragm secondary to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug enteropathy detected in the distal ileum on capsule endoscopy.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
A submucosal mass lesion with central ulceration detected in the ileum on capsule endoscopy (A). Surgical pathology (hematoxylin and eosin stain, 10× magnification) is consistent with a well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumor (B).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Koulaouzidis A, Rondonotti E, Karargyris A. Small-bowel capsule endoscopy: a ten-point contemporary review. World J Gastroenterol. 2013;19(24):3726–3746. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Liao Z, Gao R, Xu C, Li ZS. Indications and detection, completion, and retention rates of small-bowel capsule endoscopy: a systematic review. Gastrointest Endosc. 2010;71(2):280–286. - PubMed
    1. Goddard AF, James MW, McIntyre AS, Scott BB British Society of Gastroenterology. Guidelines for the management of iron deficiency anaemia. Gut. 2011;60(10):1309–1316. - PubMed
    1. Gerson LB, Fidler JL, Cave DR, Leighton JA. ACG clinical guideline: diagnosis and management of small bowel bleeding. Am J Gastroenterol. 2015;110(9):1265–1287. - PubMed
    1. Pennazio M, Spada C, Eliakim R, et al. Small-bowel capsule endoscopy and device-assisted enteroscopy for diagnosis and treatment of small-bowel disorders: European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) Clinical Guideline. Endoscopy. 2015;47(4):352–376. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources