Value of capsule endoscopy in children with small intestinal diseases with hematochezia as the chief complaint

Abstract:

Objective To evaluate the value of capsule endoscopy in children with small intestinal diseases with hematochezia as the chief complaint. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data and capsule endoscopy findings of 93 children with hematochezia who were admitted to Children's Hospital of Fudan University from May 2015 to January 2019 and underwent capsule endoscopy. According to the capsule endoscopy findings of the jejunum and the ileum, they were divided into a positive lesion group with 39 patients and a negative lesion group with 54 patients. Related clinical data and the features of lesion on capsule endoscopy were analyzed for the two groups. Results There were no significant differences in age, sex, duration of capsule endoscopy, gastric transit time, and small intestinal transit time between the positive lesion and negative lesion groups (P > 0.05). The positive lesion group had a significantly lower level of hemoglobin than the negative lesion group (P < 0.05). Hemoglobin level was negatively correlated with the rate of positive lesions on capsule endoscopy (r=-0.342, P=0.001). Among the 39 patients with positive lesions on capsule endoscopy, the detection of Meckel's diverticulum was the highest (41%), followed by inflammatory bowel disease (21%). Conclusions Capsule endoscopy has a certain value in detecting small intestinal diseases, especially diseases in the jejunum and the ileum, in children with lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage.