Background: Wireless capsule endoscopy is a superior diagnostic tool to barium small bowel follow-through and enteroscopy in diagnosing patients with occult blood loss.
Aim: To compare capsule endoscopy with barium follow-through and entero-computerised tomography in patients with suspected Crohn's disease.
Subjects and methods: Thirty-five patients with suspected Crohn's disease underwent the three examinations. The radiologist and gastroenterologist were blinded to each other's results. In cases of discrepancy, colonoscopy and ileoscopy were performed.
Results: Thirty-five patients (22 males), mean age 28.4 years, were included. Eighty-eight percent had abdominal pain, 83% had diarrhoea and 69% had weight loss. The diagnostic yield of capsule endoscopy was 77% versus 23% and 20% of barium and computerised tomography examinations, respectively (P < 0.05). The capsule detected all of the lesions diagnosed by barium follow-through and entero-computerised tomography.
Conclusions: Capsule endoscopy is a superior and more sensitive diagnostic tool than barium follow-through and entero-computerised tomography in patients with suspected Crohn's disease.