Capsule endoscopy, technical impact, benefits and limitations

Background. The small bowel is the most difficult part of the bowel to examine owing to the distance from the mouth to anus. Conventional endoscopic techniques for examining the small bowel are limited by its length and its multiple, complex, looped configurations. However, for a wide variety of specific lesions, the diagnostic value of other tests for imaging the small bowel is low. For the first time wireless capsule endoscopy has made non-invasive imaging of the entire small bowel possible. A number of peer-reviewed studies has been published that compare the method with push-enteroscopy in patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding and have shown superior diagnostic results. Conclusion. Capsule endoscopy has opened up new horizons for the diagnosis of small-bowel disease. All published studies show a higher diagnostic yield of capsule endoscopy compared with push-enteroscopy and standard radiographic investigations.