Peroral small-intestinal biopsy: experience with the hydraulic multiple biopsy instrument in routine clinical practice.

Experience of the peroral, hydraulic, multiple, small-bowel biopsy instrument is recorded and compared with reported experience of other peroral biopsy instruments. It is concluded that, in routine clinical practice, there is no particular danger associated with this instrument despite warnings to the contrary. Furthermore, biopsies are obtained at least as quickly as with other instruments and with great reliability. Since this instrument also enables multiple, precisely located biopsies to be taken from various levels of the small intestine, it could be considered the instrument of choice for peroral jejunal biopsy.