Loading...
Capsule endoscopy (CE) is used increasingly to evaluate obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. In this retrospective review, researchers in Arizona present CE findings in 260 patients who had GI bleeding that remained unexplained after endoscopic and radiographic studies. About half the patients had overt bleeding (i.e., visible red blood or melena), and half had occult bleeding (i.e., positive fecal occult blood test or unexplained iron deficiency).
Clinically significant lesions were found in 53% of patients (60% of those with overt bleeding and 43% of those with occult bleeding). Among patients with such findings, the most frequent diagnoses were angiectasias (61%), small-bowel ulcers (17%), and small-bowel masses (10%). Red or white spots, e…