The diagnosis value of double-balloon enteroscopy in 98 patients with small intestinal diseases

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of double-balloon enteroscopy(DBE) in the diagnosis of small intestinal diseases.Method The patients with suspected small intestinal diseases in our hospital from Sep 2005 to Dec 2008 were performed double-balloon enteroscopy(DBE).Their data were analyzed.Results Total 98 patients(64 male,34 female) were studied,with a mean age of 55.7 years.For 51 patients presented with obscure recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding,34 patients presented abdominal pain,while 13 patients had small intestinal obstruction.A total of 115 DBEs were performed with a mean procedure duration of 72.8 minutes.Antegrade and retrograde approaches were performed on 35 and 63 patients,respectively,and 13 patients had a combination of both routes.The lesions were found in 74 of 98 patients with a total positive rate of 75.5%.Five lesions were found within the reach of a standard upper endoscope.Total 31.1% patients had surgery procedures after DBE exam.Conclusion DBE has a high diagnostic value in patients with previously negative upper and lower endoscopic results.It is safe and effective.