small bowel endoscopy

Last reviewed 01/2018

Small bowel endoscopy is defined as any endoluminal examination of the small bowel, including capsule endoscopy, push enteroscopy and balloon-assisted endoscopy

• small bowel capsule endoscopy (SBCE) enables the whole of the small bowel to be explored using a wireless capsule, which is swallowed and propelled through the gastrointestinal tract by gut motility
  
  
• in push enteroscopy paediatric colonoscopes or sometimes dedicated enteroscopes which are much longer than standard gastroscopes are used to visualize the proximal jejunum
  • due to the length of the small bowel, averaging 4-6 meters in the adult, push enteroscopy is still not effective to adequately visualize large portions of the small intestine
    
    
• balloon-assisted enteroscopy (using double or single balloons) has largely replaced push enteroscopy because it enables the small bowel to be intubated completely via oral and anal routes and, unlike SBCE, it allows for tissue sampling and therapeutic procedures. The disadvantages of this technique lie in its complexity and the need for patient sedation and for specifically trained and experienced endoscopists to perform it

Reference:

• D'Inca R, Caccaro R.Measuring disease activity in Crohn's disease: what is currently available to the clinician. Clin Exp Gastroenterol. 2014 May 20;7:151-61.