REVIEW   

Minerva Gastroenterology 2021 March;67(1):101-8

Copyright © 2020 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Small bowel capsule endoscopy: where do we stand after 20 years of clinical use?

Marco PENNAZIO ¹ ✉, Emanuele RONDONOTTI ², Rinaldo PELLICANO ¹, Pablo CORTEGOSO VALDIVIA ³

¹ University Division of Gastroenterology, Città della Salute e della Scienza, University of Turin, Turin, Italy; ² Gastroenterology Unit, Valduce Hospital, Como, Italy; ³ Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Unit, University Hospital of Parma, University of Parma, Parma, Italy

Small bowel capsule endoscopy (SBCE) was introduced into clinical practice almost 20 years ago and, nowadays, it is an essential tool for the study of the small bowel. SBCE allows a radiation-free examination of the entire mucosal surface of the small bowel with high-quality images, limited invasivity and a good safety profile. Nevertheless, the main limitation of SBCE is the lack of any possible direct therapeutic intervention. Indications for SBCE have evolved throughout the years, from “old” ones such as suspected small bowel bleeding (still the main indication for SBCE) to newer ones such as refractory celiac disease, hereditary polyposis syndromes and Crohn’s disease. Thus, nowadays SBCE has a key role in the diagnostic algorithms in many conditions. Furthermore, the introduction in the SBCE field of cutting-edge technologies, as artificial intelligence systems, is likely to shorten the reading time making SBCE even more effective and easy to perform. Preliminary data are extremely promising and solid evidence is being gathered by current studies.

KEY WORDS: Capsule endoscopy; Intestine, small; Balloon enteroscopy