Background and objectives: The most frequent indications for small bowel capsule endoscopy (SBCE) are obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA). The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic yield (DY) of SBCE in overt and occult OGIB, as well as its impact on the clinical outcome. Materials and Methods: This study retrospectively included all cases of OGIB investigated by SBCE in a tertiary care referral center, between 1st January 2016 and 31st December 2018. OGIB was defined by overt or occult gastrointestinal bleeding, with negative upper and lower endoscopy. Occult gastrointestinal bleeding was either proved by a fecal test or presumptively incriminated as a cause for IDA. DY was defined as the detection rate for what were thought to be clinically significant findings. DYs for overt and occult bleeding were assessed and compared. Gender, age, hemoglobin levels, NSAID consumption and the use of anticoagulants were recorded. Following SBCE results, individual therapeutic decisions were made, and follow-up data were recorded. Results: 224 SBCE examinations were performed for OGIB, of which 148 were for overt OGIB, and 76 for unexplained IDA. Positive findings were found in 139 patients, resulting in an overall DY for OGIB of 62%, higher in overt OGIB (75%) compared to IDA (37%). The most frequent findings were small bowel angioectasias (62.2% in overt OGIB and 78.5% in IDA). On multivariate logistic regression analysis, only hemoglobin level <10 g/dL and anticoagulants were the variables independently associated with positive findings. All patients received medical, endoscopic or surgical treatment and had good clinical outcome during follow-up. Conclusion: SBCE has a high diagnostic yield and a positive impact on management of patients with OGIB.
Keywords: angioectasia; diagnostic yield; iron deficiency anemia; obscure gastrointestinal bleeding; overt obscure gastrointestinal bleeding; small bowel capsule endoscopy.