Are repeat upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and colonoscopy necessary within six months of capsule endoscopy in patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding?

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Medicare reimbursement for capsule endoscopy for the investigation of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding in Australia requires endoscopy and colonoscopy to have been performed within 6 months. This study aims to determine the diagnostic yield of repeating these procedures when they had been non-diagnostic more than 6 months earlier.

METHODS: Of 198 consecutive patients who were referred for the investigation of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding, 50 underwent repeat endoscopy and colonoscopy solely to enable reimbursement (35 females and 15 males; mean age 59.4 [range: 21-82] years). The average duration of obscure bleeding was 50.16 (range: 9-214) months. The mean number of prior endoscopies was 3 (median: 2) and 2.8 colonoscopies (median: 2). The most recent endoscopy had been performed 18.9 (median: 14; range: 7-56) months, and for colonoscopy, 19.1 (median 14; range 8-51) months earlier.

RESULTS: A probable cause of bleeding was found at endoscopy in two patients: gastric antral vascular ectasia (1) and benign gastric ulcer (1). Colonoscopy did not reveal a source of bleeding in any patient. Capsule endoscopy was performed in 47 patients. Twenty four (51%) had a probable bleeding source identified, and another five (11%) a possible source. These included angioectasia (17 patients), mass lesion (2), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug enteropathy (2), Cameron's erosions (2), and Crohn's disease (1). Four patients undergoing repeat capsule endoscopy had a probable bleeding source detected.

CONCLUSION: The yield of repeat endoscopy and colonoscopy immediately prior to capsule endoscopy is low when these procedures have previously been non-diagnostic. Such an approach is also not cost-effective.