Usefulness of Capsule Endoscopy in Children with Suspected Small Bowel Disease / 대한소화기내시경학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of our study is to investigate the diagnostic value and safety of capsule endoscopy (CE) in the pediatric patients with small bowel (SB) disease. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 29 children (mean age 11.8 year) who underwent CE at Seoul National University Children's Hospital between November 2004 and April 2009. RESULTS: Six (20%) of the total 29 patients could not swallow the capsule (mean age 10.5 years), so the capsule was endoscopically placed into the stomach of these 6 patients. The CE examination for the entire SB was finished in 89.6% of the patients. The indications for CE studies were obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) or anemia in 14 patients, intestinal polyposis in 8, abdominal pain in 4 and Crohn's disease in 3. The diagnostic yield of CE was 35.7% for OGIB or anemia, 37.5% for intestinal polyposis, 25% for abdominal pain and 33.3% for Crohn's disease. One patient had capsule retention during our CE investigations. CONCLUSIONS: CE is a safe and valuable tool for the detection of SB Crohn's disease, the focus of OGIB and the presence of SB polyps in pediatric patients.