| Theme | Capsule Endoscopy -- Current States and the Latest Developments | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Signification of Capsule Endoscopy for Patients with Obscure Gastrointestinal Bleeding | |
| Publish Date | 2015/12 | |
| Author | Yuka Kobayashi | Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo |
| Author | Atsuo Yamada | Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo |
| Author | Kazuhiko Koike | Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo |
| [ Summary ] | Obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) is diagnosed in patients where the bleeding source cannot be identified on esophagogastroduodenoscopy or colonoscopy. OGIB is classified as either overt or occult OGIB. Occult OGIB is considered in patients with iron deficiency anemia and/or a positive fecal occult blood test (FOBT) result, whereas overt OGIB refers to clinically evident bleeding. Capsule endoscopy (CE) is now available for assessing small bowel diseases (SBDs) in patients with OGIB. Capsule endoscopy is noninvasive and has a high diagnostic yield for SBDs. The diagnostic yield of capsule endoscopy is further improved by combining it --with other modalities such as balloon enteroscopy and contrast‒enhanced CT scan of the abdomen. A shorter interval between bleeding and CE is reported to achieve a higher diagnostic yield for patients with overt OGIB. The prevalence of SBDs in occult OGIB was significantly higher in patients with positive FOBT result than in those with a negative test result. In this section, the significance and application of capsule endoscopy for patients with OGIB has been described based on various aspects. |
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