The Diagnostic Yields and Safety of Double-Balloon Enteroscopy in Obscure Gastrointestinal Bleeding and Incomplete Small Bowel Obstruction: Comparison between the Adults and Elderly

Abstract

Background. Double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) is widely used worldwide. However, comparisons between the diagnostic yields in adults and the elderly remain scarce. Aim. The aim of this study is to compare the diagnostic yields and safety of DBE between adults and elderly with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding and incomplete small bowel obstruction. Method. We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent DBE with indication of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding or incomplete small bowel obstruction in Ruijin Hospital and classified them into adults (18–64 years old) and elderly (≥65 years old). Clinical characteristics, diagnostic yields, and postoperative complications were collected and further analyzed. Results. A total of 877 DBE procedures, 729 in adults and 148 in the elderly, were performed. In the patients with OGIB, the adults showed a higher frequency of Meckel’s diverticulum compared with the elderly (4.6% vs. 0.9%, P=0.032). Angioectasia was higher in frequency in the elderly than in the adults (25.9% vs. 17.9%, P=0.048). In patients with incomplete small bowel obstruction, the elderly were more likely to have adenocarcinoma than the adults (19.4% vs. 7.1%, P=0.038). The adults had higher tendency to have Crohn’s disease than the elderly (23.4% vs. 8.3%, P=0.045). Most of the postoperative complications were mild. The adults and elderly displayed comparable tolerance to DBE (P>0.05) Conclusion. DBE has a high diagnostic yield in small bowel disorders, and a slight difference in disease spectrum was observed between the adults and elderly. DBE can be well-tolerated in the elderly.