Wireless capsule enteroscopy - Guide to diagnosis of small intestinal disease

Abstract

The development of capsule endoscopy (CE) ushered by the pivotal work of Swain and colleagues in 2000, opened a new window in the diagnostic evaluation of small instestinal disease. Small bowel has always been a difficult organ to visualize. Imaging techniques with computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), having replaced barium studies, contributed to better detection of
small bowel disease, but there are limitations in the diagnostic value and accuracy of CE with clinical experience accumulating in endoscopic centers and increasing applied expertise, we are currently in a better position to define the diagnostic value and contribution of CE in the visualization of small instestine. Inter-observed variation is satisfactory in experienced endoscopists, but considerable variation exists in the terminology and classification of findings.