Brief Article
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World J Gastroenterol. Dec 7, 2013; 19(45): 8342-8348
Published online Dec 7, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i45.8342
Safety and utility of capsule endoscopy for infants and young children
Manari Oikawa-Kawamoto, Tsuyoshi Sogo, Takeshi Yamaguchi, Tomoyuki Tsunoda, Takeo Kondo, Haruki Komatsu, Ayano Inui, Tomoo Fujisawa
Manari Oikawa-Kawamoto, Tsuyoshi Sogo, Takeshi Yamaguchi, Tomoyuki Tsunoda, Takeo Kondo, Department of Pediatric Hepatology and Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Center, Saiseikai Yokohama City Tobu Hospital, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0012, Japan
Haruki Komatsu, Ayano Inui, Tomoo Fujisawa, Department of Pediatric Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Saiseikai Yokohama City Tobu Hospital, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0012, Japan
Author contributions: Oikawa-Kawamoto M, Sogo T, Komatsu H, Inui A and Fujisawa T designed the study; Oikawa-Kawamoto M, Sogo T, Yamaguchi T, Tsunoda T and Kondo T collected the clinical data; Oikawa-Kawamoto M analyzed the data; and Oikawa-Kawamoto M and Sogo T wrote the paper.
Correspondence to: Manari Oikawa-Kawamoto, MD, Department of Pediatric Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Saiseikai Yokohama City Tobu Hospital, 3-6-1, Shimosueyoshi, Tsurumi Ward, Yokohama 230-0012, Japan. m_kawamoto@tobu.saiseikai.or.jp
Telephone: +81-45-5763000 Fax: +81-45-5763525
Received: June 16, 2013
Revised: September 12, 2013
Accepted: September 16, 2013
Published online: December 7, 2013
Processing time: 184 Days and 22.6 Hours
Abstract

AIM: To assess the safety and utility of capsule endoscopy (CE) for children who are unable to swallow the capsule endoscope.

METHODS: The medical records of all of the children who underwent CE between 2010 and 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were divided into 2 groups: group A included patients who were unable to swallow the capsule endoscope, and group B included patients who were able to swallow it. For the patients who were unable to swallow the capsule endoscope, it was placed in the duodenum endoscopically. The small bowel transit time, endoscopic diagnosis and complications of the 2 groups were compared.

RESULTS: During the study period, 28 CE procedures were performed in 26 patients. Group A included 11 patients with a median age of 2 years (range 10 mo-9 years), and group B included 15 patients with a median age of 12 years (range 8 years-16 years). The lightest child in the study weighed 7.9 kg. The detection rates did not differ between the 2 groups. The median small bowel transit time was 401 min (range 264-734 min) in group A and 227 min (range 56-512 min) in group B (P = 0.0078). No serious complications, including capsule retention, occurred. No significant mucosal trauma occurred in the pharynx, esophagus, stomach or duodenum when the capsule was introduced using an endoscope.

CONCLUSION: CE is a safe and useful procedure for infants and young children who are unable to swallow the capsule endoscope.

Keywords: Capsule endoscopy; Retention; Infants; Children; Small bowel transit time; Complications

Core tip: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all children who underwent capsule endoscopy (CE) and compared the results of the patients who were unable to swallow the capsule (group A) with those of the patients who were able to swallow the capsule (group B). Although the mean small bowel transit time was significantly longer in group A, there were no significant differences between the 2 groups in the frequency of lesion detection or in the occurrence of adverse events. Capsule retention was not observed in either group. Thus, CE is a safe and useful procedure for infants and young children.