Abdominal pain accompanied by weight loss may increase the diagnostic yield of capsule endoscopy: A Korean multicenter study

Ki Nam Shim, Yong Sik Kim, Kyung Jo Kim, Young Ho Kim, Tae Il Kim, Jae Hyuk Do, Ji Kon Ryu, Jeong Seop Moon, Soo Heon Park, Cheol Hee Park, Kee Myung Lee, In Seok Lee, Hoon Jai Chun, In Seop Jung, Myung Gyu Choi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

49 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective. Capsule endoscopy (CE) is approved for the evaluation of obscure gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding and its use has increased in the assessment of patients with various small-bowel disorders. The yield of CE for indications of disorders other than GI bleeding is not yet well described. The aim of the present study was to determine in which subgroup of patients with unexplained abdominal pain, CE would be a helpful evaluation tool. Material and methods . The results of CE in 110 patients (70 M, 40 F, mean age 50.8±14.1 years) with unexplained abdominal pain from 12 tertiary referral centers between September 2002 and September 2004 were retrospectively analyzed. Results. The visualization of the small bowel to the cecum was successfully carried out in 69.1% of the patients. Nineteen out of the 110 cases revealed positive findings that explained the symptoms of the patient (diagnostic yield = 17.3%). Diagnosis included small-bowel stricture (5), Crohn's disease (3), small-bowel tumor (2), radiation-induced enteritis (1), NSAID-induced enteropathy (1), ischemic ileitis (1), diffuse lymphangiectasia (1), and significant erosion or ulceration (5). By univariate logistic regression analysis, the positive findings of CE were significantly associated with weight loss (odds ratio (OR), 11.9; 95% CI [2.0, 70.6]), elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)(>20 mm/h) (OR, 11.5; 95% CI (1.9, 69.5)), elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) (≥0.4 mg/dL) (OR, 5.0; 95% CI (1.6, 15.9)), and hypoalbuminemia (albumin <3 g/dL) (OR, 23.1; 95% CI (2.4,223.1)). Using a multivariate analysis, weight loss was found to be a significant risk factor for positive findings of CE (OR, 18.6; 95% CI (1.6, 222.4), p = 0.02). Conclusions. The results of this study suggest that CE can be helpful in patients suffering from abdominal pain that cannot be explained by established examinations, if the pain is accompanied by weight loss.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)983-988
Number of pages6
JournalScandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology
Volume41
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Aug 2006

Keywords

  • Abdominal pain
  • Capsule endoscopy

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Abdominal pain accompanied by weight loss may increase the diagnostic yield of capsule endoscopy: A Korean multicenter study'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this