ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Minerva Gastroenterology 2023 September;69(3):388-95

DOI: 10.23736/S2724-5985.22.03220-X

Copyright © 2022 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Efficacy and safety of capsule endoscopy in octogenarian patients: a retrospective study

Alessandro PEZZOLI ¹, Matteo GUARINO ², Nadia FUSETTI ¹, Elena PIZZO ³, Marzia SIMONI ⁴, Loredana SIMONE ¹, Viviana CIFALÀ ¹, Riccardo SOLIMANDO ¹, Benedetta PERNA ², Gianni TESTINO ⁵, Rinaldo PELLICANO ⁶ †, Giacomo CAIO ², Lisa LUNGARO ², Fabio CAPUTO ², Giorgio ZOLI ², Alberto MERIGHI ¹, Roberto DE GIORGIO ² ✉

¹ Department of Gastroenterology and Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, University Hospital of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy; ² Department of Translational Medicine, University Hospital of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy; ³ Department of Applied Health Research, University College of London, London, UK; ⁴ Epidemiological Unit of CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology, Pisa, Italy; ⁵ Unit of Addiction and Hepatology, Regional Centre on Alcohol, ASL3 San Martino Hospital, Genoa, Italy; ⁶ Unit of Gastroenterology, Molinette Hospital, Turin, Italy

BACKGROUND: Life expectancy and the number of ultra-octogenarians increased significantly, thus making crucial the appropriateness of several endoscopic procedures in elderly patients. The aim of our study was to provide a retrospective analysis of the efficacy and safety of capsule endoscopy (CE) in patients aged over 80 years.
METHODS: In this single-centre study, 900 patients underwent capsule endoscopy between 2002 and 2015 for different indications; of these 106 patients aged ≥80 years (group A) and 99 patients aged 40-60 years (control group B) were retrospectively selected.
RESULTS: Occult gastrointestinal bleeding accounted for 62.1% of all indications for capsule endoscopy in group B, compared to 95.2% in group A (P<0.001). Although not statistically significant, the diagnostic yield was higher in group A (71%) vs. group B (62%). The percentages of reaching the cecum and the median gastric transit time were uniform within the two groups. In contrast, small bowel transit time was longer in group A vs. B. Small bowel preparation was similar in the two groups. The exam was generally well tolerated in both groups, with capsule aspiration being one of the main adverse events, which occurred in two elderly patients.
CONCLUSIONS: Our data expand previous findings confirming that capsule endoscopy can be performed safely even in very old patients and show that the diagnostic yield is similar to that of younger patients.

KEY WORDS: Capsule endoscopy; Octogenarians; Gastrointestinal hemorrhage