Project description:Background and study aims A significant percentage of colonoscopies remain incomplete because of failure to intubate the cecum. The motorized spiral enteroscope (MSE) technique, originally developed for deep small bowel enteroscopy, may be an effective alternative technique in cases of incomplete examination of abnormally long colons (dolichocolon). We prospectively evaluated the success rate of cecal intubation, safety and the therapeutic consequences of using MSE after incomplete conventional colonoscopy. Patients and methods A total of 36 consecutive patients with an indication for diagnostic and/or therapeutic colonoscopy were prospectively enrolled in this multicenter trial. All patients had undergone at least one incomplete colonoscopy attributed to abnormally long colons. Patients with incomplete colonoscopy due to stenosis were excluded. Results Twenty-two men and 14 women (median age 66 years, range 35-82) were enrolled. Median procedure time was 30 minutes (range 16-50). Cecal intubation rate was 100 % and median cecal intubation time was 10 minutes (range 4-30). Abnormalities, mostly neoplastic lesions, were detected in 23 of 36 patients, corresponding to a diagnostic yield of 64 %. All these findings were in the right side of the colon and had not been described by the antecedent incomplete coloscopy. No adverse events occurred. Conclusions In case of a difficult and long colon, MSE is safe and effective for diagnostic and therapeutic colonoscopy. It may provide an attractive solution to accomplish completeness of previous incomplete colonoscopies in these patients.
Project description:BackgroundDespite differences in the information obtained by capsule endoscopy (CE) and magnetic resonance enterography (MRE), one of these modalities is usually needed when evaluating disease activity. There are no data on patients' preference that would help guide the choice between these two modalities in these instances.AimTo compare patients' tolerance and preference to MRE versus CE.Patients and methodsPatients with known small bowel Crohn's disease (CD) in clinical remission (Crohn's disease activity index [CDAI] <150) or with mild symptoms (CDAI <220) were prospectively recruited. All patients underwent MRE followed by CE. Patients were asked to fill out a questionnaire addressing specific points regarding inconvenience during the preparation for the procedures, the procedures, and postprocedures. Side effects and procedure preference were addressed. Questionnaires were included for analysis only when more than 95% of the items were addressed.ResultsFifty-six patients fulfilled inclusion criteria. Pre-exam discomfort, during-exam discomfort, nausea, vomiting, bloating, and abdominal pain were all significantly more prominent in MRE as compared to CE (P<0.0001, P<0.0001, P<0.0001, P=0.009, P=0.0002, P<0.0001, respectively). MRE was perceived as a more difficult procedure (P<0.0001). Furthermore, MRE was associated with a specific adverse event - claustrophobia. Seventy-eight percent of patients (44 patients) preferred to repeat CE as compared to 22% (P<0.0001) who preferred MRE.ConclusionCE was better tolerated by CD patients compared to MRE and was preferred by 78% of patients. The superior tolerability of CE should be considered along with the diagnostic features, and more data sought when choosing between these two modalities for CD patients for long-term follow-up.
Project description:SmartPill(®) (Given Imaging Corp.,Yoqneam,Israel) is an ingestible, non-imaging capsule that records physiological data including contractions and pH throughout the gastrointestinal tract. There are scarce data looking at SmartPill(®) assessment of patients with known/suspected small-bowel Crohn's Disease (CD). This pilot study aims to investigate feasibility and safety of SmartPill(®) to assess gut motility in this group. Over 1 year, patients with known/suspected CD, referred for small-bowel capsule endoscopy (SBCE), were invited to participate and 12 were recruited (7 female, 5 male, mean age 44.2 ± 16.6 years). They underwent hydrogen breath test to exclude small-bowel bacterial overgrowth, patency capsule (Agile(®)), and provided stool samples for fecal calprotectin (FC). Patients ingested PillCam(®)SB2 and SmartPill(®) 4 hours apart. Using unpublished data, 33 healthy controls also were identified for the study. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Of the 12 patients enrolled, 10 underwent complete Smartpill(®) examination (1 stomach retention, 1 dropout). Pillcam(®) was complete in 10 (1 dropout, 1 stomach retention). Mean fecal calprotectin was 340 ± 307.71 mcg/g. The study group had longer transit times and lower gut motility index than did the controls. The difference in motility appears to be statistically significant (P < 0.05). Longer transit times for SmartPill(®) (not statistically significant) may have been due to different specifications between the capsules. Limitations included transient Smartpill(®) signal loss (5/10 studies).This is the first pilot to attempt combining SBCE and SmartPill(®) to assess small-bowel CD. Data on motility in CD are scarce. Multimodal information can provide a clearer clinical picture. Despite concerns about capsule retention in CD patients, SmartPill(®) seems safe for use if a patency capsule is employed beforehand.
Project description:Background and aimsThe Lewis Score (LS) and Capsule Endoscopy Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CECDAI) are the two currently used small bowel capsule endoscopy (SBCE) scoring systems for Crohn's disease (CD). The present study describes a new scoring system for evaluation of small bowel CD, especially mucosal inflammation.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, 108 CD patients underwent 196 SBCEs. The small bowel lesions were scored using our new Crohn's Disease Activity in Capsule Endoscopy (CDACE). CDACE is the sum of scores for location of inflammation, range of inflammation, and stenosis, with a value ranging from 0 to 1643. We analyzed the relation between CDACE and LS, CECDAI, CDAI, and CRP values and evaluated the inter-rater reliability of CDACE using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) (2.1).ResultsThe mean (±SD) values of LS, CECDAI, and CDACE were 501 ± 1177, 5.8 ± 5.4 and 431 ± 356, respectively. CDACE correlated significantly with LS and CECDAI (ρ = 0.737, P < 0.0001 for LS and ρ = 0.915, P < 0.0001 for CECDAI). CDACE also correlated significantly with CDAI (ρ = 0.36) and CRP (ρ = 0.23). The ICC (2.1) was 0.829, indicating strong agreement among readers.ConclusionsCDACE is a potentially useful SBCE scoring system for small bowel CD, as it represents the extent and spread of small bowel mucosal inflammation and stenosis.
Project description:Background: Crohn's disease is a chronic ailment affecting the gastrointestinal tract. Mucosal healing, a marker of reduced disease activity, is currently assessed in the colonic sections using ileocolonoscopy and magnetic resonance enteroscopy. Video capsule endoscopy (VCE) offers visualization of the entire GI mucosae. Objective: To validate a Crohn's disease model estimating the budget impact of VCE compared with the standard of care (SOC) in Italy. Methods: A patient-level, discrete-event simulation was developed to estimate the budget impact of VCE compared with SOC for Crohn's disease surveillance over 5 years in the Italian setting. Input data were sourced from a physician-initiated study from Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Hospital in Bologna, Italy, and the literature. The care pathway followed hospital clinical practice. Comparators were the current SOC (ileocolonoscopy, with or without magnetic resonance enteroscopy) and VCE. Sensitivity analysis was performed using 500-patient bootstraps. A comparative analysis regarding clinical outcomes (biologics use, surgical interventions, symptom remission) was performed to explore the validity of the model compared with real-world data. Cumulative event incidences were compared annually and semi-annually. Bayesian statistical analysis further validated the model. Results: Implementing VCE yielded an estimated €67 savings per patient per year, with savings in over 55% of patients, compared with SOC. While annual costs are higher up to the second year, VCE becomes cost saving from the third year onward. The real-world validation analysis proved a good agreement between the model and real-world patient records. The highest agreement was found for biologics, where Bayesian analysis estimated an 80.4% probability (95% CI: 72.2%-87.5%) that a decision maker would accept the result as an actual reflection of real-world data. Even where trend data diverged (eg, for surgery [43.1% likelihood of acceptance, 95% CI: 33.7%-52.8%]), the cumulative surgery count over 5 years was within the margin of error of the real-world data. Conclusions: Implementing VCE in the surveillance of patients with Crohn's disease and small bowel involvement may be cost saving in Italy. The congruence between model predictions and real-world patient records supports using this discrete-event simulation to inform healthcare decisions.
Project description:ObjectivesAdvancements in medical endoscopy and techniques of rigid bronchoscopy for foreign body removal have enabled higher diagnostic accuracy, reduced morbidity and precise manipulation. However, in pediatric patients, endoscope-combined forceps may be too big to fit into the small sized airway. Here we present our method of endoscope assisted rigid bronchoscopy in pediatric patients and compare the clinical benefits with conventional naked-eye rigid bronchoscopy.MethodsWe used a 2.7 mm, 0° straight endoscope and small caliber grasping forceps with 3.0 to 4.5 mm sized rigid bronchoscopy for very young (<3 years of age) patients of foreign body aspiration. As an assistant held the rigid bronchoscope in situ, the operator could manipulate the endoscope and forceps bimanually. With endoscopic guidance, the foreign body retrieval was performed carefully. The clinical advantages were compared between our endoscope-assisted method (n=29) and the conventional bronchoscopy method (n=33) in terms of operation time and recovery (hospital stay).ResultsBimanual endoscope-assisted rigid bronchoscopy method was technically feasible and safe. The operation time was less, compared to the conventional technique and the patients recovered more quickly. In all cases, our method completely removed the foreign body without need of a second bronchoscopy procedure.ConclusionBimanual endoscope-assisted retrieval of airway foreign body in very young age pediatric patients was superior to the conventional naked-eye method concerning accurate manipulation and safety.