Balloon, spiral endoscopy similarly effective for small bowel diagnosis

Last Updated: 2017-07-03

By Anne Harding

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Balloon enteroscopy and spiral endoscopy are equally effective for diagnosing small bowel disorders, according to a new systematic review and meta-analysis.

“When we compared these two procedures we did not find a significant difference, except for a shorter procedural time with spiral endoscopy,” Dr. Ramkaji Baniya, a resident at Hurley Medical Center/Michigan State University in Flint, told Reuters Health in a telephone interview.

Double-balloon total enteroscopy (DBE), introduced in 2001, “was a paradigm shift in the field of diagnostic and therapeutic small bowel intervention,” Dr. Baniya and his team note in their report online June 24 in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Single-balloon enteroscopy (SBE) was introduced in 2008, and spiral endoscopy (SE) followed in 2009. Both balloon and spiral endoscopy allow for non-operative treatment of small-bowel conditions that might once have required surgery.

To compare the diagnostic and therapeutic yields of BE and SE, the researchers analyzed eight studies involving 615 procedures (394 BE and 221 SE). Diagnostic and therapeutic success rates were similar for the two approaches, and depth of maximal insertion was also not significantly different. However, procedure time averaged about 11 minutes longer with BE. One case of perforation occurred in two studies.

“Both the procedures have only minor side effects that did not have long-term consequences,” Dr. Baniya said.

Based on the findings, BE and SE are equally good choices, according to the researcher. For patients who may not withstand a longer procedure, he added, endoscopists could choose SE, while DBE is preferable when a complete enteroscopy is needed.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2tFrFwH

Gastrointest Endosc 2017.