Repeat capsule endoscopy in suspected gastrointestinal bleeding

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to review the utility of repeat capsule endoscopy (CE) with on-going concern of small bowel (SB) bleeding following initial SB investigation with CE.

Materials and methods: A specifically designed database of CE examinations performed over 13 years, with hospital records, was retrospectively interrogated for patients undergoing multiple CEs to investigate iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) or suspected SB bleeding.

Results: 1335/2276 (58.7%) of CEs were performed to investigate IDA or SB bleeding; 92 were repeat CEs carried out for ongoing clinical concern. The median time interval between initial and repeat CE procedures was 466.5 (range 1–3066) days. Twenty-four patients had initially normal CE; on repeat examination, abnormalities were detected in 11/24 (45.8%). 3/21 (14.2%) of patients with angioectasia on first CE had alternative causes for IDA or GI bleeding detected on repeat CE. Six patients with active bleeding, without an identifiable source on initial CE, undergoing repeat CE had a cause isolated in 5/6 (83.3%). Changing CE device did not affect diagnostic yield (DY) compared to repeat CE using the same device (27.5% to 26.8%).

Conclusions: It is known that CE can miss clinically relevant and serious lesions. Our results suggest that patients with an initially negative or inconclusive CE frequently have a cause of SB bleeding detected on repeat CE. The DY of repeat CE is highest in those with bleeding on their initial CE (83.3%) and lower in those with initially normal examinations (45.8%) or when an alternative cause, such as angioectasia is seen (14.2%).

Keywords:

• Capsule endoscopy
• small bowel bleeding
• iron deficiency anaemia
• angioectasia
• malignancy
• Crohn’s disease

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability

The data that support the finding of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, AR. The data are not publicly available due to their containing information that could compromise the privacy of research participants.