When Is a Small Bowel Endoscopy Required?

A small-bowel endoscope is a medical device used to examine and diagnose the causes of chronic gastrointestinal bleeding of unknown origin, as well as various small-bowel disorders. Small-bowel endoscopy includes conventional small-bowel endoscopy and painless capsule endoscopy. Provided there are no contraindications, small-bowel endoscopy may be performed, specifically in the following situations:

1. Suspected small-bowel disease: such as small-bowel tumors, hyperplastic lesions of the small bowel, Crohn’s disease of the small intestine, intestinal tuberculosis, or small-bowel malabsorption syndrome—conditions requiring small-bowel evaluation.

2. Unexplained iron-deficiency anemia, gastrointestinal bleeding, diarrhea of unknown origin, or protein-losing enteropathy;

3. Foreign bodies within the small bowel requiring identification via small-bowel endoscopy;

4. Follow-up small-bowel endoscopy after treatment for confirmed intestinal diseases.