A prospective comparative study of push and wireless-capsule enteroscopy in patients with obscure digestive bleeding

Objectives : To prospectively compare the global and specific diagnostic yields of push and wireless videocapsule enteroscopy for small bowel lesions in patients with obscure digestive bleeding after esogastroduodenoscopy and colonoscopy. Methods : The patients studied had unexplained chronic iron- deficient anemia or digestive blood loss after routine investiga- tions. Small bowel investigation was performed first with the wire- less-capsule (M2A, Given Imaging) and then with the push-entero- scope (Olympus SIF100). Results : Twenty-one patients were included in the protocol (14 females and 7 males), whose mean age was 60 years (range : 18 to 81). All patients had iron-deficient anemia with occult bleeding (n = 16) or overt bleeding (n = 5). A digestive lesion was observed in 14 of 21 cases (66%). Lesions were : esophageal varices (n = 2), reflux esophagitis (n = 1), upper gastrointestinal tract ulcerations (n = 9), intestinal angioectasia (n = 4), ileal varices (n = 1), cecal angioectasia (n = 1) and tumor-like angioma in the jejunum (n = 1). These 19 lesions were discovered by both methods in 10 cases (52%), by push-enteroscopy only in 6 (31%) and by wireless-cap- sule endoscopy only in 3 (17%). The global diagnostic yield was therefore slightly but not significantly higher for push wireless- capsule enteroscopy (61 vs 52% ; NS) and the specific diagnostic yield was similar (20%). Interobserver agreement on the wireless- capsule recordings reached 85% for detection of findings. Conclusions : In patients with obscure digestive bleeding, no significant difference in diagnostic yield was evidenced between push and wireless-capsule endoscopy. The main advantage of the latter method versus the former was the detection of distal lesions in the small bowel. Wireless-capsule enteroscopy is mandatory for patients with active unexplained bleeding and negative push- enteroscopy, or for defining the extension of a disease involving, for instance, the presence of angioectasia. (Acta gastroenterol. belg., 2003, 66, 199-205).