Peter Mensink

Double balloon enteroscopy and capsule endoscopy for obscure gastrointestinal bleeding: An updated meta-analysis

Background and Aim:  Uncertainty remains about the best test to evaluate patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB). Previous meta‐analyses demonstrated similar diagnostic yields with capsule endoscopy (CE) and double balloon enteroscopy (DBE) but relied primarily on data from abstracts and were not limited to bleeding patients. Many studies have since been published. Therefore, we performed a new meta‐analysis comparing CE and DBE focused specifically on OGIB.

Single- vs. double-balloon enteroscopy in small-bowel diagnostics: a randomized multicenter trial

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS Double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) is the first choice endoscopic technique for small-bowel visualization. However, preparation and handling of the double-balloon enteroscope is complex. Recently, a single-balloon enteroscopy (SBE) system has been introduced as being a simplified, less-complex balloon-assisted enteroscopy system. PATIENTS AND METHODS This study was a randomized international multicenter trial comparing two balloon-assisted enteroscopy systems: DBE vs. SBE. Consecutive patients referred for balloon-assisted enteroscopy were randomized to either DBE or SBE. Patients were blinded with regard to the type of instrument used. The primary study outcome was oral insertion depth. Secondary outcomes included complete small-bowel visualization, anal insertion depth, patient discomfort, and adverse events. Patient discomfort during and after the procedure was scored using a visual analog scale. RESULTS A total of 130 patients were included over 12 months: 65 with DBE and 65 with the SBE technique. Patient and procedure characteristics were comparable between the two groups. Mean oral intubation depth was 253 cm with DBE and 258 cm with SBE, showing noninferiority of SBE vs. DBE. Complete visualization of the small bowel was achieved in 18 % and 11 % of procedures in the DBE and SBE groups, respectively. Mean anal intubation depth was 107 cm in the DBE group and 118 cm in the SBE group. Diagnostic yield and mean pain scores during and after the procedures were similar in the two groups. No adverse events were observed during or after the examinations. CONCLUSIONS This head-to-head comparison study shows that DBE and SBE have a comparable performance and diagnostic yield for evaluation of the small bowel.

Endoscopic therapy of small-bowel polyps by double-balloon enteroscopy in patients with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome

BACKGROUND Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) is a hereditary disorder characterized by mucocutaneous pigmentations and hamartomatous polyps mainly in the small bowel. These polyps may cause complications such as intussusception. OBJECTIVE To assess therapeutic efficacy and safety of double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) for detection and treatment of small-bowel polyps in patients with PJS. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SETTING Tertiary-care referral center. PATIENTS This study involved 13 patients with PJS, defined as a proven STK11 gene mutation or according to international diagnostic criteria. INTERVENTION DBE with enteroscopic removal of pedunculated polyps of > or =10 mm. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS Location, number and size of small-bowel polyps, polypectomy data, and complications and long-term complications associated with development of small-intestine polyps. RESULTS Thirteen patients with PJS (8 male, mean age 31 years) underwent 29 DBE procedures. Ten patients (77%) had a history of partial small-bowel resection because of small-bowel polyps. Small-bowel polyps were found in all 13 patients. The majority of polyps (94%) were located in the proximal jejunum. A total of 82 polyps of > or =10 mm were detected, and 79 (96%) were endoscopically removed without complications. After the introduction of DBE, no small-intestine-polyp-related complications occurred during a follow-up period of 356 person-months. LIMITATIONS Small number of patients. CONCLUSION DBE is clinically useful and safe for diagnosis and therapy of small-bowel polyps in patients with PJS, even in patients with a history of extensive abdominal surgery. DBE may decrease the need for laparotomy in patients with PJS.

Chronic gastrointestinal ischaemia: shifting paradigms

Chronic gastrointestinal ischaemia (CGI) is generally considered to be a rare disease entity. The majority of patients with CGI are only diagnosed after a long period of slowly progressive abdominal symptoms, in some cases with impressive weight loss. These patients may have a broad range of clinical signs and quite often undergo repeated extensive evaluation of their symptoms with negative outcome. The classical triad of symptoms, also known as ‘abdominal angina’, is defined as the combination of postprandial pain, weight loss due to fear of pain after eating, and an abdominal bruit during physical examination. Recent studies have shed new lights on these long unchallenged concepts. These studies first showed that CGI is more prevalent than previously thought and can occur in patients with both single- and multi-vessel disease. Second, the disease presents with a much wider range in symptoms, and only a minority of patients present with the classical triad. Third, long-term positive outcomes can be achieved after endovascular or surgical revascularisation therapy in large proportion of patients. This knowledge results from a combination of clinical research by dedicated focus groups, the current widespread availability of new imaging techniques such as CT-angiography, the development of new functional tests for assessment of mucosal perfusion, and the evolution of endovascular stenting options. Clinicians diagnosing and treating patients with acute and chronic abdominal conditions have to be aware of these new developments. We therefore here review the new insights on CGI with a focus on epidemiology, pathophysiology, current diagnostics and treatment.

Single-balloon enteroscopy, magnetic resonance enterography, and abdominal US useful for evaluation of small-bowel disease in children with (suspected) Crohn's disease

BACKGROUND The usefulness of single-balloon enteroscopy (SBE) has not been evaluated in children with known or suspected Crohns disease (CD). OBJECTIVE The objectives of this study are to evaluate the diagnostic yield of SBE for pediatric CD by comparing it with US and magnetic resonance enterography (MRE). DESIGN Single-center prospective study. SETTING Tertiary-care referral hospital. PATIENTS Between February 2009 and April 2010, 20 pediatric patients (ages 8-18 years) with suspected inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or with a previous diagnosis of CD with suspected persistent small-bowel disease were enrolled. INTERVENTIONS All patients underwent proximal and distal SBE, 17 patients also underwent US combined with Doppler flow measurements, and 18 underwent MRE. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS The findings of US with Doppler flow measurements and MRE were compared with those with SBE. RESULTS The mean patient age was 15.0 years (range 11.3-18 years, 70% male). Of 14 patients with suspected IBD, 8 had a diagnosis of CD made after SBE. Activity in the small bowel was found in 14 patients (70%) with both suspected and previously diagnosed CD. Twelve patients (60%) had small-bowel disease that was out of reach of conventional endoscopy. Three patients (15%) had small-bowel activity solely in the jejunum, which was not detected by either MRE or US. LIMITATIONS Single-center study with small sample size. CONCLUSIONS SBE can be used in children to accurately assess small-bowel disease and CD. Small-bowel activity may be identified by SBE in some patients in whom it may not be apparent despite use of conventional upper endoscopy, ileocolonoscopy, US with Doppler flow measurements, or MRE.

Impact of double-balloon enteroscopy findings on the management of Crohn's disease

Abstract Objective. It is estimated that 10%–30% of Crohns disease (CD) patients have small-bowel lesions, but the exact frequency and clinical relevance of these findings are unknown. Double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) enables endoscopic visualization of the small bowel. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of DBE for detecting small-bowel lesions in CD patients suspected of having small-bowel involvement. Furthermore, the clinical impact of adjusting treatment in these patients was assessed. Material and methods. A prospective study was performed in a tertiary referral center. CD patients suspected of small-bowel involvement and in whom distal activity had previously been excluded were included. All patients underwent DBE, followed by step-up therapy in patients with small-bowel lesions. The presence of small-bowel lesions during DBE was noted and clinical outcome was assessed after adjusting therapy. Results. Thirty-five patients (70%) showed small-bowel lesions; these lesions could not be assessed by conventional endoscopy in 23 (46%). At 1-year follow-up, step-up therapy in 26 patients (74%) led to clinical remission in 23 (88%). This was confirmed by a significant decrease in Crohns disease activity index and mucosal repair on second DBE. Conclusions. DBE showed a high frequency of small-bowel lesions in known CD patients with clinically suspected small-bowel activity. Most of these lesions were not accessible for conventional endoscopy. Adjusting treatment in patients with small-bowel CD involvement led to clinical remission and mucosal repair in the majority of cases.

Twenty-Four Hour Tonometry in Patients Suspected of Chronic Gastrointestinal Ischemia

Background and aimsGastrointestinal tonometry is currently the only clinical diagnostic test that enables identification of symptomatic chronic gastrointestinal ischemia. Gastric exercise tonometry has proven its value for detection of ischemia in this patients group, but has its disadvantages. Earlier studies with postprandial tonometry gave unreliable results. In this study we challenged (again) the use of postprandial tonometry in patients suspected of gastrointestinal ischemia.MethodsPatients suspected for chronic gastrointestinal ischemia had standard diagnostic work up, including gastric exercise tonometry and 24-h tonometry using standard meals.ResultsThirty-three patients were enrolled in the study. Chronic gastrointestinal ischemia was diagnosed in 17 (52%) patients. The 24-h tonometry correctly predicted the presence of ischemia in 13/17 patients, and absence of ischemia in 15/16 patients.ConclusionsThe use of 24-h tonometry after meals in patients suspected of gastrointestinal ischemia seems feasible, with promising accuracy for the detection of ischemia.

Single-balloon–assisted colonoscopy in patients with previously failed colonoscopy

BACKGROUND Despite advances in training and equipment, complete colonoscopy fails, even in experienced hands, in up to 10% of cases. Double-balloon endoscopy (DBE) has been successfully used to complete colonoscopy in these patients. Single-balloon endoscopy (SBE) has become established for small-bowel enteroscopy. However, it has yet to be studied for use in colonoscopy. OBJECTIVE To assess the efficacy, performance, and safety of single-balloon colonoscopy. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SETTING Academic tertiary referral center. PATIENTS Patients with previously failed conventional colonoscopy. RESULTS 23 single-balloon colonoscopy procedures were performed in 22 patients: median age 53 (range 19-75) years; 14 females, 8 males. SBE colonoscopy succeeded in cecal intubation in 22 (96%) procedures, with a median total procedure time of 30 (range 20-60) minutes. SBE colonoscopy was normal in 9 cases but resulted in a positive diagnosis in 13 (57%) procedures, including polyps (n = 6), active Crohns disease (n = 4), Crohns-related stricture (n = 1), and diverticulosis (n = 2). Seven (30%) procedures were therapeutic including 1 case with balloon dilation and 6 cases with polypectomy. No complications were encountered. LIMITATIONS Limited sample size, no direct comparison with double-balloon endoscopy. CONCLUSIONS Single-balloon-assisted colonoscopy seems a safe and effective method for completing colonoscopy in patients with previously failed or difficult colonoscopy. The outcomes are similar compared with previous studies with DBE colonoscopy in this patient group.

Endoscopic visible light spectroscopy: a new, minimally invasive technique to diagnose chronic GI ischemia

BACKGROUND The diagnosis of chronic GI ischemia (CGI) remains a clinical challenge. Currently, there is no single simple test with high sensitivity available. Visible light spectroscopy (VLS) is a new technique that noninvasively measures mucosal oxygen saturation during endoscopy. OBJECTIVE To determine the diagnostic accuracy of VLS for the detection of ischemia in a large cohort of patients. DESIGN Prospective study, with adherence to the Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy. SETTING Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS Consecutive patients referred for evaluation of possible CGI. INTERVENTIONS Patients underwent VLS along with the standard workup consisting of evaluation of symptoms, GI tonometry, and abdominal CT or magnetic resonance angiography. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS VLS measurements and the diagnosis of CGI as established with the standard workup. RESULTS In 16 months, 121 patients were included: 80 in a training data set and 41 patients in a validation data set. CGI was diagnosed in 89 patients (74%). VLS cutoff values were determined based on the diagnosis of CGI and applied in the validation data set, and the results were compared with the criterion standard, resulting in a sensitivity and specificity of VLS of 90% and 60%, respectively. Repeated VLS measurements showed improvement in 80% of CGI patients after successful treatment. LIMITATIONS Single-center study; only 43% of patients had repeated VLS measurements after treatment. CONCLUSIONS VLS during upper endoscopy is a promising easy-to-perform and minimally invasive technique to detect mucosal hypoxemia in patients clinically suspected of having CGI, showing excellent correlation with the established ischemia workup.

Reproductive wish represents an important factor influencing therapeutic strategy in inflammatory bowel diseases.

Abstract Objective. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affects patients in reproductive age but little is known about the peri-conceptional use of medication for IBD. The aim of this study was to assess the type of medication used by IBD patients with the desire to reproduce and changes in medication in the peri-conceptional period. Material and methods. IBD patients with active conception plans and pregnant patients were prospectively recruited from the outpatient clinic of a single academic medical center. IBD-related medication and changes in this medication for reasons of a desire to conceive or pregnancy were analyzed. Results. In total, 61 patients (51 females; 40 with Crohns disease, 21 with ulcerative colitis) were included. Thirteen patients (21%) used no medication, 44 (72%) used monotherapy and four (7%) used combination treatment. Of patients on monotherapy, 11 (19%) used 5-aminosalicylates, five (9%) used steroids, 11 (19%) used thiopurines, five (9%) used methotrexate and 11 (19%) used anti-tumor necrosis factor agents. Thirty-seven patients (61%) consulted a physician prior to conception. About one-third of these patients required a change in their medication due to their conception plans. Conclusions. In a referral center, the majority of IBD patients with conception plans require medication for which limited information on the safety of peri-conceptional use is available. In addition, the desire to reproduce leads to medication changes in about one-third of these patients.