WIRELESS CAPSULE ENDOSCOPY EXPLORATION FOR DISEASES OF THE SMALL INTESTINE IN CHINA

For small bowel diseases, it is difficult for the ordinary enteroscopy to reach due to its spe- cific curvature and length. Capsule endoscopy (CE) is a unique tool to visualize the mucosa of the small intestine. The aim of this study was to evaluate the detection rate and diagnostic yield of CE in a large group of patients with suspected digestive diseases in China. One hun- dred and two consecutive patients (75 male, mean age 50 years, range 32-87 years) underwent CE in our Gastroenterology Units, for a total of 102 procedures. Referrals were obscure oc- cult/overt gastrointestinal bleeding group (19 patients) and suspected small bowel disease group (83). In our study, the whole detection rate was 92 % (94/102), with a definite diagno- sis yield of 63 % of the patients in the obscure gastrointestinal bleeding and 39 % of the pa- tients in the suspected small bowel diseases. None of the patients developed symptoms of signs of mechanical obstruction, although the capsule was retained in the stomach in 2/102 patients for their somatostatin taken. CE seems to be a very safe, painless and effective proce- dure with a high diagnostic yield. Accurate selection of indications and critical evaluation of the results are essential to explore these diseases.