Diagnostic yield of esophagogastroduodenoscopy, colonoscopy, and small bowel endoscopy in Thai adults with chronic diarrhea

Background Gastrointestinal endoscopy is frequently recommended for chronic diarrhea assessment in Western countries, but its benefit in the Southeast Asia region is not well established. Methods Medical records of consecutive patients undergoing esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), colonoscopy, and small bowel endoscopy for chronic diarrhea from 2008 to 2018 were reviewed. Small bowel endoscopy included push enteroscopy, balloon-assisted enteroscopy (BAE), and video capsule endoscopy (VCE). The diagnostic yield of each endoscopic modality and predictors for positive small bowel endoscopy were analyzed. Results A total of 550 patients were included. The mean age was 54 years, and 266 (46.3%) patients were male. The mean hemoglobin and albumin levels were 11.6 g/dL and 3.6 g/dL, respectively. EGD and colonoscopy were performed in 302 and 547 patients, respectively, and the diagnostic yield was 24/302 (7.9%) for EGD and 219/547 (40.0%) for colonoscopy. EGD did not reveal positive findings in any patients with normal colonoscopy. Fifty-one patients with normal EGD and colonoscopy underwent small bowel endoscopy. Push enteroscopy, BAE, and VCE were performed in 28, 21, and 19 patients with a diagnostic yield of 5/28 (17.9%), 14/21 (66.7%), and 8/19 (42.1%), respectively. Significant weight loss, edema, and hypoalbuminemia were independent predictors for the positive yield of small bowel endoscopy. Conclusion Colonoscopy was an essential diagnostic tool in identifying the cause of chronic diarrhea in Thai patients, whereas EGD provided some benefits. Small bowel endoscopy should be performed when colonoscopy and EGD were negative, particularly in patients with significant weight loss, edema, and hypoalbuminemia.

Small bowel hemorrhage from check point inhibitor enteritis: a case report

Background There is rising utilization of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) for a growing number of metastatic malignancies. While gastrointestinal side effects of ICI are common, isolated ICI-induced enteritis leading to small bowel hemorrhage is rare. Case presentation A 71-year-old man with a previously resected right colon adenocarcinoma on atezolizumab and recently treated Clostridioides difficile presented with acute on chronic abdominal pain and non-bloody diarrhea. A CT scan revealed enteritis of the duodenum and jejunum without colitis. Initial endoscopic work-up revealed many clean-based non-bleeding duodenal ulcers to the third portion of the duodenum and normal rectosigmoid mucosa. The patient initially improved on steroids but was readmitted on day after discharge with hematochezia and hemorrhagic shock. Repeat CT showed improvement in enteritis; however, repeat push enteroscopy revealed multiple duodenal and jejunal ulcers, two with visible vessels requiring endoscopic intervention. He continued to have significant hemorrhage requiring transfusions despite IV methylprednisolone. Conventional angiogram revealed multiple sites of active extravasation, and he underwent small bowel resection and subsequent IR embolization due to persistent bleeding. He was then started on infliximab 10 mg/kg with resolution of his small bowel hemorrhage and diarrhea. Conclusions Severe isolated ICI-enteritis is rare and can lead to clinically significant gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Patients with severe ICI-enteritis on endoscopy should be carefully monitored for steroid refractory disease for consideration of step-up therapy such as infliximab.

Subacute Enteritis Two Months After COVID-19 Pneumonia With Mucosal Bleeding, Perforation, and Internal Fistulas

Chronic sequelae of COVID-19 remain undetermined. We report a case of postinfection sequelae in a patient presenting with subacute obstruction 2 months after COVID-19 infection. A 34-year-old man with a prior prolonged hospital stay due to COVID-19 complicated by upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleed presented with subacute obstruction and failure to thrive. Upper GI push enteroscopy revealed residual ulcers and multiple proximal jejuno-jejunal fistulae. Midline laparotomy revealed strictures with dense intra-abdominal adhesions, a large jejuno-jejunal fistula, and evidence of prior jejunal perforation following severe COVID-19 infection. The patient recovered after small bowel resection with anastomoses and was discharged home. Histopathological examination of resected specimen confirmed transmural infarction with evidence of prior hemorrhage, diffuse ulcers, and multifocal inflammation. This is the first report of a chronic GI sequelae resulting from COVID-19. As the pandemic evolves, medical professionals must be vigilant to consider alternative GI diagnoses in the COVID-19 survivors.

Diagnostic Performance of Esophagogastroduodenoscopy, Colonoscopy, and Small Bowel Endoscopy in Thai Adults with Chronic Diarrhea

Background: Gastrointestinal endoscopy is recommended to investigate chronic diarrhea in Western countries, but its benefits have infrequently been investigated in Southeast Asia. This study aimed to determine the diagnostic utility of esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), colonoscopy, and small bowel endoscopy in Thai chronic diarrhea. Methods: Medical records of consecutive patients who underwent EGD and/or colonoscopy to investigate chronic diarrhea at our center from 2008 to 2012 were reviewed. We also evaluated consecutive patients with negative EGD and colonoscopy who underwent subsequent small bowel endoscopy, including push enteroscopy, balloon-assisted enteroscopy (BAE), and video capsule endoscopy (VCE), from 2008 to 2018. The diagnostic yield of each endoscopic modality was analyzed. Results: A total of 272 patients underwent EGD and/or colonoscopy. Mean hemoglobin and albumin levels were 11.6 g/dL and 3.8 g/dL, respectively. EGD and colonoscopy were performed in 135 and 269 patients, respectively, and the diagnostic yield was 5.9% for EGD and 42.7% for colonoscopy. No patient with normal colonoscopy had positive EGD findings. Thirty-nine patients with normal EGD and colonoscopy underwent small bowel endoscopy. Mean hemoglobin and albumin levels were 10.9 and 2.7 g/dL, respectively. Push enteroscopy, BAE, and VCE were performed in 22, 20, and 11 patients with a diagnostic yield of 22.7%, 60.0%, and 45.5%, respectively. Conclusion: Colonoscopy was shown to be an essential investigation in chronic diarrhea. In contrast to western, EGD did not add benefit to colonoscopy. Enteroscopy played an important role in the diagnosis of chronic diarrhea when colonoscopy was negative.

Role of Small Bowel Endoscopy in Diagnosis and Management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Current Perspective

The evaluation of small bowel in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is mainly performed in cases with newly diagnosed or suspected Crohn’s disease (CD). The available modalities for small bowel evaluation include radiological imaging (barium meal follow through, magnetic resonance enteroclysis, computed tomography enteroclysis) and small bowel endoscopy also known as enteroscopy. The main advantage of small bowel endoscopy over radiological imaging is that it allows for obtaining biopsy specimen required for histological confirmation of the diagnosis. Various endoscopic modalities for endoscopic evaluation of small bowel include push enteroscopy and device assisted enteroscopy (DAE). Push enteroscopy allows only limited evaluation of proximal small bowel. Therefore, DAE is generally preferred over push enteroscopy for small bowel evaluation. DAE includes single balloon enteroscopy, double balloon enteroscopy, and spiral enteroscopy. The available literature suggests that there is no significant difference in the diagnostic yield among the available DAE devices. Therefore, the choice of DAE is largely dependent on the availability as well as local expertise. More recently, motorised spiral enteroscopy has been introduced. The main advantage of this novel DAE is ease of use with the possibility of evaluating the entire small bowel via per-oral route. However, the data regarding the use of motorised spiral enteroscopy is limited and comparative trials are required in future.