Comparison of the diagnostic yield and outcomes between standard 8 h capsule endoscopy and the new 12 h capsule endoscopy for investigating small bowel pathology

AIM: To evaluate the completion rate and diagnostic yield of the Pill Cam SB2-ex in comparison to the Pill Cam SB2.METHODS:Two hundred cases using the 8-h Pill Cam SB2 were retrospectively compared to 200 cases using the 12 h Pill Cam SB2-ex at a tertiary academic center.Endoscopically placed capsules were excluded from the study.Demographic information,indications for capsule endoscopy,capsule type,study length,completion of exam,clinically significant findings,timestamp of most distant finding,and significant findings beyond 8 h were recorded.RESULTS:The 8 and 12 h capsule groups were well matched respectively for both age(70.90±14.19vs 71.93±13.80,P=0.46)and gender(45.5%vs48%male,P=0.69).The most common indications for the procedure in both groups were anemia and obscure gastrointestinal bleeding.Pill Cam SB2-ex had a significantly higher completion rate than Pill Cam SB2(88%vs 79.5%,P=0.03).Overall,the diagnostic yield was greater for the 8 h capsule(48.5%for SB2vs 35%for SB2-ex,P=0.01).In 4/70(5.7%)of abnormal SB2-ex exams the clinically significant findingwas noted in the small bowel beyond the 8 h mark.CONCLUSION:In our study,we found the Pill Cam SB2-ex to have a significantly increased completion rate,though without any improvement in diagnostic yield compared to the Pill Cam SB2.