Published online Mar 16, 2015. doi: 10.4253/wjge.v7.i3.247
Peer-review started: August 29, 2014
First decision: November 1, 2014
Revised: November 15, 2014
Accepted: December 16, 2014
Article in press: December 17, 2014
Published online: March 16, 2015
Processing time: 203 Days and 9.8 Hours
Double balloon enteroscopy (DBE) is an advanced type of endoscopic procedure which brings the advantage of reaching the whole small bowel using anterograde or the retrograde route. This procedure is both diagnostic and interventional for a variety of small intestinal diseases, such as vascular lesions, tumors, polyps and involvement of inflammatory bowel diseases. Main indication is the diagnosis and treatment of mid-gastrointestinal bleeding according to the recent published data all over the world. The complication rates seem to be higher than conventional procedures but growing experience is lowering them and improving the procedure to be safe and well tolerated. This review is about the technique, indications, diagnostic importance and complications of DBE according to the literature growing since 2001.
Core tip: Double balloon enteroscopy (DBE) is a novel technique of great interest as the clinician gains the opportunity of examining the whole small bowel without any surgical intervention. Diagnostic and therapeutic ability of the procedure influences the importance and common use of DBE for patients with documented or suspected small bowel disease. This review summarizes the indications, diagnostic yield and complications of the procedure according to the worldwide knowledge since 2001.