Small-bowel capsule endoscopy with panoramic view: results of the first multicenter, observational study (with videos).

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The first small-bowel video-capsule endoscopy (VCE) with 360° panoramic view has been recently developed. This new capsule has a wire-free technology, 4 high frame-rate cameras, and a long-lasting battery life. The present study was aimed at assessing performances and the safety profile of the 360° panoramic-view capsule in a large series of patients from a multicenter clinical practice setting. METHODS: Consecutive patients undergoing a 360° panoramic-view capsule procedure in 7 European Institutions between January 2011 and November 2015 were included. Both technical (ie, technical failures, completion rate) and clinical (ie, indication, findings, retention rate) data were collected by means of a structured questionnaire. VCE findings were classified according to the likelihood to explain reason for referral: P0-low, P1-intermediate and P2-high. RESULTS: Among 172 patients (94 men; median age: 68 years, IQR: 53-75), 142 underwent VCE for obscure (32 overt, 110 occult) GI bleeding (OGIB) and 28 for suspected (17) or established (2) Crohn's disease (CD). Overall, 560 findings were detected; 252 of them were P2. The overall diagnostic yield was 40.1%; 42.2% and 30.0% in patients with OGIB and CD, respectively. The rate of complete enteroscopy was 90.2%. All of the patients but one, who experienced capsule retention (1/172: 0.6%), excreted and retrieved the capsule. VCE failure occurred in 4 of 172 (2.3%) cases for technical problems. CONCLUSION: The present multicenter study, conducted in clinical practice setting and based on a large consecutive series of patients, showed that DY and safety profile of 360° panoramic-view capsule are similar to those of forward-view VCEs.