Obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) refers to gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding of unclear origin that persists or recurs after negative findings on esophagogastroduodenoscopy and colonoscopy. OGIB accounts for approximately 5% of all types of GI bleeding. More than 80% of OGIB cases originate in the small bowel. The ability to detect OGIB in the small bowel has significantly advanced and been revolutionized since the introduction of the capsule endoscopy and double-balloon enteroscopy techniques in 2000 and 2001, respectively. With these new methods for small-bowel evaluation, new guidelines have been proposed for the diagnosis and management of OGIB. However, some issues remain unsolved. The purpose of this article is to review the various modalities used for evaluating OGIB, including capsule endoscopy and double-balloon enteroscopy, and to help guide clinicians in their decisions on which modality will be the most effective.
Capsule Endoscopy* ; Colonoscopy ; Diagnosis ; Double-Balloon Enteroscopy ; Endoscopy, Digestive System ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Hemorrhage*

Gastrointestinal bleeding from small bowel lesions is uncommon but it is the most common cause of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding that can go undiagnosed using traditional upper endoscopy and colonoscopy. Recently, various new methods, including wireless capsule endoscopy and double-balloon enteroscopy have been used to detect and manage small bowel lesions. A 51-year-old man was admitted with hematochezia. The source of bleeding could not be identified using conventional upper endoscopy and colonoscopy. Wireless capsule endoscopy revealed a mass-like lesion with active blood spurting in the proximal jejunum. Finally, a tumor with central ulceration was detected at the proximal jejunum using a clean colonoscope through the oral approach. This lesion was surgically resected, and the histology findings were consistent with a gastrointestinal stromal tumor. We report a case of gastrointestinal bleeding from a proximal jejunal GIST diagnosed by clean colonoscopy through the oral approach with a review of the relevant literature.
Capsule Endoscopy ; Colonoscopes ; Colonoscopy* ; Double-Balloon Enteroscopy ; Endoscopy ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Jejunum ; Middle Aged ; Ulcer

Gastrointestinal bleeding from a small bowel lesion is uncommon, but it is the most common cause of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding and it can go undiagnosed using traditional upper endoscopy and colonoscopy. Recently, capsule endoscopy and double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) were developed as new techniques for visualization of the entire small intestine and have improved access to the lesion site in patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. In this report, we describe a 49-year male presenting with melena from a gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) of the proximal jejunum that was diagnosed by DBE and resected by laparoscopic surgery.
Capsule Endoscopy ; Colonoscopy ; Double-Balloon Enteroscopy ; Endoscopy ; Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Intestine, Small ; Jejunum ; Laparoscopy ; Male ; Melena

An inflammatory fibroid polyp (IFP) is a mesenchymal tumor of the gastrointestinal tract. IFPs in the small intestine are the most frequently detected with symptoms, such as abdominal pain and tarry stool due to intussusception. Accordingly, few studies have reported jejunal IFP as a cause of occult gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) diagnosed via both of capsule endoscopy (CE) and double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE). A 68-year-old woman presented with a progression of anemia and a positive fecal occult blood test result. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy and total colonoscopy findings were unremarkable. CE revealed a tumor with bleeding in the jejunum. DBE also revealed a jejunal polypoid tumor. Bleeding from the tumor seemed to have caused anemia. The patient underwent partial laparoscopic resection of the jejunum, including resection of the tumor. The tumor was histopathologically diagnosed as IFP. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of laparoscopic resection of jejunal IFP with OGIB diagnosed via CE and DBE preoperatively.
Abdominal Pain ; Aged ; Anemia ; Capsule Endoscopy* ; Colonoscopy ; Double-Balloon Enteroscopy* ; Endoscopy, Digestive System ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Intestine, Small ; Intussusception ; Jejunum ; Laparoscopy ; Leiomyoma* ; Occult Blood ; Polyps*

BACKGROUND: Double balloon enteroscopy was developed to improve access to the small intestine. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of double balloon enteroscopy in patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. METHODS: From November 2004 through August 2005, 24 consecutuve patients (14 males, 10 females; mean age 48+/-15.1 years, range 2181 years) with gastrointestinal bleeding of an obscure origin were enrolled in this study. The patients underwent enteroscopy using the double balloon technique for the following indications: (1) clinical evidence of gastrointestinal bleeding such as melena and hematochezia (the Hb levels ranged from 5.9 g/dL to 11.9 g/dL, mean 9.0+/-2.3 g/dL) (2) no site and cause of blood loss detected by upper endoscopy and colonoscopy. RESULTS: Of 24 patients that underwent a double balloon enteroscopy, bleeding points were identified in 22 patients. The causes of bleeding were nine small bowel ulcera, six angiodysplasiaa, three cases of Crohn's disease, two gastrointestinal stromal tumors, one Meckel's diverticulum and one cecal diverticular ulcer. However, two cases showed negative findings. No patient suffered from procedure related complication. CONCLUSIONS: Double balloon enteroscopy is a safe and useful diagnostic tool for obscure gastrointestinal bleeding.
Colonoscopy ; Crohn Disease ; Double-Balloon Enteroscopy* ; Endoscopy ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Intestine, Small ; Male ; Meckel Diverticulum ; Melena ; Ulcer

Capsule endoscopy is being increasingly used for investigating GI bleeding of an obscure origin and also the bleeding that's due to Crohn's disease. Capsule endoscopy is a safe procedure with few complications. Complications of capsule endoscopy are capsule retention, incomplete small bowel examination, swallowing disorders and technical complications. However, capsule retention still remains a major concern. Crohn's disease may rarely show its first manifestation as GI bleeding. We present here a case of obscure GI bleeding in which the diagnosis of isolated Crohn's enteritis was made by using wireless CE. The retained capsule at the jejunal stricture of Crohn's disease was successfully retrieved by performing double balloon enteroscopy.
Capsule Endoscopy ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Crohn Disease* ; Deglutition Disorders ; Diagnosis ; Double-Balloon Enteroscopy* ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Hemorrhage ; Methods

The small bowel is the most common site of an unknown origin of gastrointestinal bleeding. Meckel's diverticulum is the most common congenital anomaly of the gastrointestinal tract in children. The complications from Meckel's diverticulum such as bleeding decrease with age, and so Meckel's diverticular bleeding is very rare in old age patients. The diagnosis of Meckel's diverticulum may be very difficult and especially in old age patients. Capsule endoscopy and double balloon enteroscopy have recently become useful diagnostic tools for assessing diverticular bleeding and small bowel lesions as these techniques can examine the entire small intestine. We report here on a case of Meckel's diverticulum that was detected by capsule endoscopy and double balloon enteroscopy and this was confirmed by surgery in a 76-year-old man with recurrent hematochezia.
Aged ; Capsule Endoscopy ; Child ; Double-Balloon Enteroscopy ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Intestine, Small ; Meckel Diverticulum

Peutz-Jeghers syndrome is an autosomal dominant hereditary disease that's characterized by hamartomatous polyps of the gastrointestinal tract and mucocutaneous melanin pigmentation. Hamartomatous polyps can arise anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract, but they are most common in the small intestine. The major symptoms of Peutz-Jeghers syndrome are abdominal pain, intussusception and anemia due to gastrointestinal bleeding, which are all caused by harmatomatous polyp. Capsule endoscopy has been reported to have a higher diagnostic yield than small bowel barium radiography for patients with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome and who have small bowel polyp. Small bowel polyp in patients with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome can be resected by double balloon enteroscopy without laparotomy. We report here on a patient with melena that was caused by small bowel polyps, and this was found by using capsule endoscopy. Polyp in the distal ileum was resected by using colonoscopy and the patient was diagnosed as suffering with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome. The other proximal ileum polyp was resected by using double balloon enteroscopy without complication.
Abdominal Pain ; Anemia ; Barium ; Capsule Endoscopy ; Colonoscopy ; Double-Balloon Enteroscopy* ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Genetic Diseases, Inborn ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Ileum ; Intestine, Small ; Intussusception ; Laparotomy ; Melanins ; Melena ; Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome ; Pigmentation ; Polyps* ; Radiography

Jejunal diverticulosis is a rare malady and it is often asymptomatic. It may lead to chronic non-specific or acute symptoms such as malabsorption, intussusception, obstruction, bleeding, perforation and abscess formation. It usually is seen as an incidental finding on computerized tomography, enteroclysis or during an emergency operation. Since the advent of double balloon enteroscopy and capsule endoscopy, several cases of small bowel diverticulosis with complications have recently been reported. Lipomas are the rare benign tumors of the small intestine with no malignant potential and they are mostly incidentally encountered during investigation of the gastrointestinal tract. We report here on a case of massive small bowel bleeding with jejunal diverticulosis, and a pedunculated elongated lipoma was incidentally found.
Abscess ; Capsule Endoscopy ; Diverticulum ; Double-Balloon Enteroscopy ; Emergencies ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Hemorrhage ; Incidental Findings ; Intestine, Small ; Intussusception ; Lipoma

Obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) is defined as occult or overt bleeding of unknown origin that persists or recurs after an initial negative endoscopic evaluation by gastroscopy or colonoscopy. Most of these problems occur in the small bowel, and it is not an uncommon condition encountered by gastroenterologists, accounting for approximately 5% of all GIB. Traditional endoscopic techniques, including push enteroscopy, have a limited role in diagnosing patients with OGIB because of the inaccessibility of a large part of the small bowel using an endoscopic procedure. The recent introduction of new enteroscopic modalities including capsule endoscopy (CE) and double balloon enteroscopy have allowed mucosal visualization of the entire small bowel, revolutionizing the diagnosis and treatment of patients with OGIB. The respective roles of CE and deep enteroscopy in patients with OGIB are discussed in this review.
Accounting ; Capsule Endoscopy ; Colonoscopy ; Double-Balloon Enteroscopy ; Endoscopy ; Gastroscopy ; Hemorrhage ; Humans