Integrating Double-Balloon Enteroscopy into the Diagnostic Pathway for Suspected Small Bowel Crohn’s Disease: A Retrospective Study from a Tertiary Care Center

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Small bowel capsule endoscopy (SBCE) is effective for diagnosing suspected small bowel Crohn's disease, with a 70% diagnostic yield.
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Double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) is used for histological confirmation and therapeutic interventions in small bowel Crohn's disease.
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The study included 98 patients, with SBCE performed in 90.8% and a 30.4% conversion rate to DBE for further investigation.
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Increasing age and diagnostic uncertainty on SBCE were significant predictors for referral to DBE.
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DBE should be reserved for cases needing histological confirmation or therapeutic intervention, as SBCE serves as an effective triage tool.

Frontiers In Gastroenterology

by Thomas Sheehan, Cormac Hegarty, Roisin Connaughton, Barry Hall, Orlaith B. Kelly
April 1, 2026

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