Abstract

URREGO, José Augusto; OTERO REGINO, William  and  GOMEZ ZULETA, Martín. Is the videocapsule endoscopy the best option for diagnosis of possible bleeding from the small intestine?. Rev. colomb. Gastroenterol. [online]. 2020, vol.35, n.2, pp.196-206. ISSN 0120-9957.  https://doi.org/10.22516/25007440.262.

When neither upper nor lower gastrointestinal endoscopy can find a clear cause of gastrointestinal bleeding, it will eventually be found in the small intestine in up to 77% of cases. Given the excellent diagnostic performance of video capsule endoscopy for studying this segment of the gastrointestinal tract, the question of whether it should become the initial diagnostic method for patients with possible bleeding from the small intestine arises. The alternatives are to perform additional upper and lower endoscopic procedures or to use some alternative method of studying the small intestine. This review documents and evaluates the superior diagnostic performance and greater safety of videocapsule endoscopy as the initial approach for possible bleeding from the small intestine and compares it with other methods. However, the cost-effectiveness of this approach, clearly demonstrated elsewhere, is questioned in our setting.

Keywords : Digestive endoscopy; capsule endoscopy; gastrointestinal hemorrhages; small intestine.

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