Value of double-balloon enteroscopy for diagnosis and management of suspected small intestinal bleeding

YUE Hui; ZHOU Dian-yuan

Abstract：Objective To evaluate the value of DBE in the diagnosis and selective treatment for suspected small intestinal bleeding and to study possible etiology of small intestinal bleeding. Methods Enteroscopy, using the double-balloon method,were performed in 212 patients with suspected intestinal diseases and 126 patients with suspected small intestinal bleeding from June 2003 and August 2007 at Guangdong No.2 Provincial People's Hospital and Nanfangmedical University Hospital. Results The bleeding lesions of small intestine were found in 101 out of 126 patients with suspected intestinal diseases(80.2%), including 42 cases of small intestinal ulcers(including Crohn's diseases),25 cases of diverticulum (including Micheal's diverticulosis), 19 cases of intestinal neoplasms, IO cases of vascular deformity,2 cases of stero-pronematodiasis and 3 cases of ancylostomiasis; the bleeding lesions of Non-small intestine (includingbleeding lesions from stomach,esophagus and large intestine) in 16 out of 176 patients with suspected intestinal diseases(12.7%);9 cases of essentially normality. There were no serious adverse reactions and complications in all patients received enteroscopy. Conclusion DBE has higher diagnosis rate for small intestinal bleeding,and can be regarded as the first choice for suspected intestinal bleeding patients. The main reason of small intestinal bleeding are benign ulcers including Crohn's disease, intestine diverticulum and intestinal neoplasms as well as vascular deformity and Parasitosis infection are the rare cause.