BACKGROUND: Capsule Endoscopy (CE) has become the first-line tool to identify an underlying etiology for Obscure Gastrointestinal Bleeding (OGIB) in the small bowel (SB). This study aims to investigate the long-term outcome of patients with a negative CE. METHODS: Retrospective review of standardized application forms of all patients who underwent CE for OGIB at the Ghent University Hospital between 2002 and 2013. Follow-up data on patients with a negative CE result (n=263) were collected by contacting the referring physician. RESULTS: Follow-up was available for 211 patients (Male, n=107 ; Female, n=104 ; Overt bleeding, n=76 ; Occult bleeding, n=135). Median follow-up time was 51.7 months (range 1.4-139.6 months). Ninety-six patients underwent further diagnostics, showing a cause for OGIB in 57 (59.4%). Final outcome for the complete cohort of negative CEs was : 139 (65.9%) true negative (i.e. non-SB cause of bleeding/ resolved OGIB), 19 (9%) false negative (i.e. SB cause of OGIB) and 53 (25.1%) ongoing bleeding without cause. Missed SB lesions were : angiodysplasia (n=11), Meckel's diverticulum (n=3), SB malignancy (n=3), jejunal erosions (n=1) and NSAID-induced SB ulcerations (n=1). Bleeding resolved in 138/209 patients (66%) of which 79 underwent non-specific therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Negative CEs in patients with OGIB do not reassure the treating physician, but warrant close monitoring. In suspicious cases, alternative diagnostic modalities are recommended, showing a high diagnostic yield. (Acta gastroenterol. belg., 2016, 79, 405-413).
BACKGROUND: Capsule Endoscopy (CE) has become the first-line tool to identify an underlying etiology for Obscure Gastrointestinal Bleeding (OGIB) in the small bowel (SB). This study aims to investigate the long-term outcome of patients with a negative CE. METHODS: Retrospective review of standardized application forms of all patients who underwent CE for OGIB at the Ghent University Hospital between 2002 and 2013. Follow-up data on patients with a negative CE result (n=263) were collected by contacting the referring physician. RESULTS: Follow-up was available for 211 patients (Male, n=107 ; Female, n=104 ; Overt bleeding, n=76 ; Occult bleeding, n=135). Median follow-up time was 51.7 months (range 1.4-139.6 months). Ninety-six patients underwent further diagnostics, showing a cause for OGIB in 57 (59.4%). Final outcome for the complete cohort of negative CEs was : 139 (65.9%) true negative (i.e. non-SB cause of bleeding/ resolved OGIB), 19 (9%) false negative (i.e. SB cause of OGIB) and 53 (25.1%) ongoing bleeding without cause. Missed SB lesions were : angiodysplasia (n=11), Meckel's diverticulum (n=3), SB malignancy (n=3), jejunal erosions (n=1) and NSAID-induced SB ulcerations (n=1). Bleeding resolved in 138/209 patients (66%) of which 79 underwent non-specific therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Negative CEs in patients with OGIB do not reassure the treating physician, but warrant close monitoring. In suspicious cases, alternative diagnostic modalities are recommended, showing a high diagnostic yield. (Acta gastroenterol. belg., 2016, 79, 405-413).
Authors: Gerardo Blanco-Velasco; Rolando Pinho; Omar Michel Solórzano-Pineda; Claudia Martínez-Camacho; Luis Fernando García-Contreras; Enrique Murcio-Pérez; Oscar Victor Hernández-Mondragón Journal: GE Port J Gastroenterol Date: 2021-06-17