Objective:

To evaluate the association between glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) based therapy and small-bowel transit time during capsule endoscopy.

Approach:

• Study Design: Prospective, multicentre, observational study of adults undergoing small-bowel capsule endoscopy.
• Participants: 129 participants, with 34 receiving GLP-1-based therapy and 95 as non-exposed controls.
• Outcomes: Primary outcome was small-bowel transit time; secondary outcomes included gastric transit time, capsule completion, bowel preparation quality, repeat-examination recommendation, and endoscopic findings.

Key Findings:

• Exposed patients had longer unadjusted small-bowel transit time (median 311.0 min, IQR 252.8–433.0) compared to controls (236.0 min, IQR 188.0–282.5; p<0.001).
• Gastric transit time was not significantly different between groups (33.5 min, IQR 15.2–51.8 vs 22.5 min, IQR 11.0–42.5; p=0.263).
• Capsule completion was numerically lower among exposed patients (91.2% vs 98.9%; p=0.056).
• Repeat capsule recommendation was higher in exposed patients (11.8% vs 3.2%; p=0.078), but not statistically significant.
• GLP-1-based therapy was independently associated with longer small-bowel transit time after adjustment (adjusted β +83 min, 95% CI 3.1 to 162.8; p=0.042).

Interpretation:

GLP-1-based therapy was associated with longer small-bowel transit time during capsule endoscopy.

Limitations:

• Study findings are based on a relatively small sample size.
• The study may not generalize to all patient populations or settings.

Conclusion:

The study supports individualized assessment for capsule-endoscopy planning.