Retrograde spiral enteroscopy: feasibility, success, and safety in a series of 22 patients

Enteroscopy

Noninvasive imaging with CT and magnetic resonance enterography or direct visualization with wireless capsule endoscopy can provide valuable diagnostic information and direct therapy. Enteroscopy technology and techniques have evolved significantly and allow diagnosis and therapy deep within the small bowel, previously attainable only with intraoperative enteroscopy. Push enteroscopy, readily available in most endoscopy units, plays an important role in the evaluation and management of lesions located up to the proximal jejunum. Currently available device-assisted enteroscopy systems, DBE, SBE, and spiral enteroscopy each have their technical nuances, clinical advantages, and limitations. Newer, on-demand enteroscopy systems appear promising, but further studies are needed. Despite slight differences in parameters such as procedural times, depths of insertion, and rates of complete enteroscopy, the overall clinical outcomes with all overtube-assisted systems appear to be similar. Endoscopists should therefore master the enteroscopy technology based on institutional availability and their level of technical expertise.

Complications of enteroscopy: how to avoid them and manage them when they arise

Deep small bowel enteroscopy is a safe procedure that has revolutionized the strategy for diagnosis and treatment of small bowel diseases. However, enteroscopy-associated adverse events are more common compared with standard endoscopy. Prevention, early detection, and effective intervention are crucial in reducing the adverse event severity and improving outcomes. In this article, how to safely perform enteroscopy, avoid adverse events, detect adverse events early, and accomplish effective treatments are discussed. This knowledge can serve as a continuing quality improvement process to reduce the risk of future adverse events and improve the overall quality of endoscopy.

Feasibility of spiral enteroscopy in Japanese patients: study in two tertiary hospitals

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Despite recent advances in enteroscopy, such as balloon enteroscopy, accessing the small intestine remains challenging. Spiral enteroscopy is a novel technique in which an endoscope is fitted with a rotating overtube that has a soft spiral fin at the tip. Whereas spiral enteroscopy is beginning to be carried out in Western countries, it is not common in many Asian countries. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of spiral enteroscopy in Japanese patients.

METHODS

We prospectively conducted spiral enteroscopy in patients with suspected or known small bowel disease. All procedures were carried out using a spiral overtube. The main outcome measurements of the study were diagnosis rate, endoscopic intervention rate, and complication rate.

RESULTS

Thirty-two patients underwent spiral enteroscopy. Spiral enteroscopy diagnosed 16 patients (50%) with small intestinal lesions, including six malignant lymphomas (19%), three erosions or ulcers (9%), three polyps (9%), two angioectasias (6%), one carcinoma (3%), and one submucosal tumor (3%). Additionally, four patients underwent endoscopic interventions (13%). Mallory-Weiss syndrome occurred in one patient (3%). No perforation occurred in any patient (0%).

CONCLUSIONS

Our initial experience of spiral enteroscopy suggests that it can be introduced safely, but it is relatively invasive and technically demanding. More experience is needed to conduct spiral enteroscopy easily and safely.

Small-bowel endoscopy core curriculum

This is one of a series of documents prepared by the ASGE Training Committee. This curriculum document contains recommendations for training, intended for use by endoscopy training directors, endoscopists involved in teaching endoscopy, and trainees in endoscopy. It was developed as an overview of techniques currently favored for the performance and training of small-bowel endoscopy and to serve as a guide to published references, videotapes, and other resources available to the trainer. By providing information to endoscopy trainers about the common practices used by experts in performing the technical aspects of the procedure, the ASGE hopes to improve the teaching and performance of small-bowel endoscopy.

Current status of device-assisted enteroscopy: Technical matters, indication, limits and complications

Enteroscopy, defined as direct visualization of the small bowel with the use of a fiberoptic or capsule endoscopy, has progressed considerably over the past several years. The need for endoscopic access to improve diagnosis and treatment of small bowel disease has led to the development of novel technologies one of which is non-invasive, the video capsule, and a type of invasive technique, the device-assisted enteroscopy. In particular, the device-assisted enteroscopy consists then of three different types of instruments all able to allow, in skilled hands, to display partially or throughout its extension (if necessary) the small intestine. Newer devices, double balloon, single balloon and spiral endoscopy, are just entering clinical use. The aim of this article is to review recent advances in small bowel enteroscopy, focusing on indications, modifications to improve imaging and techniques, pitfalls, and clinical applications of the new instruments. With new technologies, the trials and tribulations of learning new endoscopic skills and determining their role in the diagnosis and treatment of small bowel disease come. Identification of small bowel lesions has dramatically improved. Studies are underway to determine the best strategy to apply new enteroscopy technologies for the diagnosis and management of small bowel disease, particularly obscure bleeding. Vascular malformations such as angiectasis and small bowel neoplasms as adenocarcinoma or gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Complete enteroscopy of the small bowel is now possible. However, because of the length of the small bowel, endoscopic examination and therapeutic maneuvers require significant skill, radiological assistance, the use of deep sedation with the assistance of the anesthetist. Prospective randomized studies are needed to guide diagnostic testing and therapy with these new endoscopic techniques.

Antegrade is more effective than retrograde enteroscopy for evaluation and management of suspected small-bowel disease

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Antegrade and retrograde enteroscopy are useful for evaluating the proximal and distal small bowel, respectively. We compared the diagnostic yield, therapeutic yield, and complications of antegrade and retrograde enteroscopy.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database of patients who underwent small-bowel enteroscopy at our institution from January 2008 to August 2009. All enteroscopies were performed using single-balloon enteroscopy (SBE), double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE), or spiral enteroscopy (SE). A total of 250 enteroscopies were performed; 182 were antegrade (91 SBE, 52 DBE, and 39 SE) and 68 were retrograde (23 SBE, 37 DBE, and 8 SE). The mean age of the patients was 61.5 ± 15.8 years.

RESULTS

The most common indication for small-bowel endoscopy was obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (n = 83). The diagnostic yield was significantly higher for antegrade than retrograde enteroscopy (63.7% vs 39.7%; P < .001). Antegrade procedures were of shorter duration than retrograde enteroscopy (44.3 ± 22.0 vs 58.9 ± 29.7 min; P < .001), and the mean depth of maximal insertion was significantly greater with antegrade endoscopy (231.8 ± 122.1 vs 103.4 ± 102.8 cm; P < .001). The therapeutic yield also was significantly higher for anterograde enteroscopy than retrograde enteroscopy (55.5% vs 44.1%; P < .001). There were no significant differences in complications.

CONCLUSIONS

Antegrade enteroscopy appears to provide a higher diagnostic and therapeutic yield than retrograde enteroscopy in patients with suspected small-bowel disease.

Spiral enteroscopy: prime time or for the happy few?

Spiral enteroscopy is the newest of the deep enteroscopy techniques. The current technique employs an overtube with a raised spiral at the distal end to pleat the small intestine and achieve deep small bowel intubation. Although spiral enteroscopy is a novel technique, the learning curve is comparable to the balloon enteroscopy techniques. There is some evidence of improved speed of spiral enteroscopy procedures with superior control compared to the balloon endoscopy technologies. Altered surgical anatomy deep enteroscopy has been shown to have similar safety and efficacy to competitive technologies, particularly in cases of Roux-en-Y ERCP cases. Spiral enterosopy is safe and effective for deep small bowel enteroscopy and diagnostic yield and therapeutic yields are similar to alternate technologies. There are bright future applications of the technology with enteroscopes and an integrated spiral. Spiral enteroscopy is an advanced technique that can be performed by any skilled endoscopist.

Double- vs. single-balloon vs. spiral enteroscopy

Starting with the introduction of the double-balloon enteroscope in 2001, two more techniques have been successfully developed for small bowel investigation (single-balloon enteroscopy, spiral enteroscopy). To compare the different enteroscopy systems, within this review, 68 studies were analyzed and put into context. The procedural characteristics (mean insertion depth, diagnostic yields, adverse events) were comparable for DBE, SBE or SE. The higher panenteroscopy rate in DBE might not have any clinical relevance. Therapeutic procedures, such as argon-plasma coagulation, polypectomy, dilation therapy and foreign body extraction are described with the DBE and SBE procedure. With regard to the present literature, the balloon-assisted devices as well as spiral enteroscopy technique seem to be equally suitable in clinical routine for imaging of the small bowel. The choice of the method should be based on availability, physicians' experience and clinical implications. Future randomized, controlled trials with large numbers of patients are needed to work out the subtleties of every single method.

Small bowel diagnostics: current place of small bowel endoscopy

The small intestine has been difficult to examine by traditional endoscopic and radiologic techniques. Until the end of the last century, the small bowel follow through was the primary diagnostic tool for suspected small bowel disease. In recent years capsule endoscopy, deep enteroscopy using balloon-assisted or spiral techniques, computerized tomography and magnetic resonance enteroclysis or enterography have facilitated the diagnosis, monitoring, and management of patients with small bowel diseases. These technologies are complementary, each with its advantages and limitations. In the present article, we will discuss the different options and indications for modern diagnostic methods for visualization of the small bowel. We also try to provide a clinical rationale for the use of these different diagnostic options in less established, newly emerging, indications for small bowel evaluation.