Capsule endoscopy in patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding

[Purpose] Recently, video capsule endoscopy (VCE) and double-balloon endoscopy (DBE) have been introduced into clinical practice for obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB). Both are said to be very useful. This study assessed the VCE images and effectiveness of VCE. [Methods] 116 patients who had both VCE and DBE for OGIB were enrolled in the study. The diagnosis or findings obtained by VCE were compared to the final diagnosis, and the results and the efficacy of VCE were assessed. [Results] The VCE positive finding rate was 62.9%, but a definitive diagnosis was made in only 13 patients (11.2%) using VCE. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy were 76.7% , 74.2 %, 87.5% , 57.5% , and 76.0% , respectively. The accuracy of VCE diagnosis was around 76%. [Conclusion] It is difficult to make a definitive diagnosis based on VCE findings. However, VCE findings play a "guide role" to the definitive diagnosis.