Double-balloon enteroscopy: Indications, approaches, diagnostic and therapeutic yield, and safety. Early experience at a single center

Double-balloon enteroscopy has been improving the visualization of the entire intestine for more than a decade. It is a complementary method in the study of intestinal diseases that enables biopsies to be taken and treatments to be administered. Our aim was to describe its main indications, insertion routes, diagnostic/therapeutic efficacy, and complications. All patients referred to our unit with suspected small bowel pathology were included. The insertion route (oral/anal) was determined through diagnostic suspicion. The variables measured were: insertion route, small bowel examination extent, endoscopic diagnosis/treatment, biopsy/histopathology report, complications, and surgical findings. The study included 28 double-balloon enteroscopies performed on 23 patients, of which 10 were women and 13 were men (mean age of 52.95 years). The oral approach was the most widely used (n=21), the main indication was overt small bowel bleeding (n=16), and the general diagnostic rate was 65.21%. The therapeutic intervention rate was 39.1% and the procedure was effective in all the cases. The most widely used treatment was argon plasma therapy (n=7). The complication rate was 8.6%; one patient presented with low blood pressure due to active bleeding and another had deep mucosal laceration caused by the argon plasma. Double-balloon enteroscopy is a safe and efficacious method for the study and management of small bowel diseases, with an elevated diagnostic and therapeutic rate. La enteroscopia de doble balón (EDB) tiene más de una década mejorando la visualización de la totalidad del intestino. Es un método complementario en el estudio de enfermedades intestinales, permite tomar biopsias y efectuar tratamientos. El objetivo fue describir las principales indicaciones, el tipo de abordaje, la eficacia diagnóstica/terapéutica y sus complicaciones. Se incluyó a todos los pacientes referidos a nuestra unidad con sospecha de patología de intestino delgado. El tipo de abordaje (oral/anal) fue determinado por la sospecha diagnóstica. Las variables medidas fueron: tipo de abordaje, alcance de intestino delgado, diagnóstico/tratamiento endoscópico, toma de biopsias/reporte histopatológico, complicaciones y hallazgos quirúrgicos. Se incluyeron 28 EDB realizadas a 23 pacientes, 10 mujeres y 13 hombres (media de edad 52.95 años). La vía de abordaje más usada fue la oral (n=21). La principal indicación fue sangrado de intestino delgado evidente (n=16). La tasa diagnóstica general fu