Main recommendations
Small-bowel capsule endoscopy (SBCE)
1
ESGE recommends that prior to SBCE patients ingest a purgative (2 L of polyethylene glycol PEG) for better visualization.
Strong ...recommendation, high quality evidence. However, the optimal timing for taking purgatives is yet to be established.
2
ESGE recommends that SBCE should be performed as an outpatient procedure if possible, since completion rates are higher in outpatients than in inpatients.
Strong recommendation, moderate quality evidence.
3
ESGE recommends that patients with pacemakers can safely undergo SBCE without special precautions.
Strong recommendation, low quality evidence.
4
ESGE suggests that SBCE can also be safely performed in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators and left ventricular assist devices.
Weak recommendation, low quality evidence.
5
ESGE recommends the acceptance of qualified nurses and trained technicians as prereaders of capsule endoscopy studies as their competency in identifying pathology is similar to that of medically qualified readers. The responsibility of establishing a diagnosis must however remain with the attending physician.
Strong recommendation, moderate quality evidence.
6
ESGE recommends observation in cases of asymptomatic capsule retention.
Strong recommendation, moderate quality evidence.
In cases where capsule retrieval is indicated, ESGE recommends the use of device-assisted enteroscopy as the method of choice.
Strong recommendation, moderate quality evidence.
Device-assisted enteroscopy (DAE)
1
ESGE recommends performing diagnostic DAE as a day-case procedure in patients without significant underlying co-morbidities; in patients with co-morbidities and/or those undergoing a therapeutic procedure, an inpatient stay is recommended.
Strong recommendation, low quality evidence
The choice between different settings also depends on sedation protocols.
Strong recommendation, low quality evidence.
2
ESGE suggests that conscious sedation, deep sedation, and general anesthesia are all acceptable alternatives: the choice between them should be governed by procedure complexity, clinical factors, and local organizational protocols.
Weak recommendation, low quality evidence.
3
ESGE recommends that the findings of previous diagnostic investigations should guide the choice of insertion route. Strong recommendation, moderate quality evidence.
If the location of the small-bowel lesion is unknown or uncertain, ESGE recommends that the antegrade route should be generally preferred. Strong recommendation, low quality evidence.
In the setting of massive overt bleeding, ESGE recommends an initial antegrade approach.
Strong recommendation, low quality evidence.
4
ESGE recommends that, for balloon-assisted enteroscopy (i. e., single-balloon enteroscopy SBE and double-balloon enteroscopy DBE), small-bowel insertion depth should be estimated by counting net advancement of the enteroscope during the insertion phase, with confirmation of this estimate during withdrawal.
Strong recommendation, low quality evidence.
ESGE recommends that, for spiral enteroscopy, insertion depth should be estimated during withdrawal.
Strong recommendation, moderate quality evidence.
Since the calculated insertion depth is only a rough estimate, ESGE recommends placing a tattoo to mark the identified lesion and/or the deepest point of insertion.
Strong recommendation, low quality evidence.
5
ESGE recommends that all endoscopic therapeutic procedures can be undertaken at the time of DAE.
Strong recommendation, moderate quality evidence.
Moreover, when therapeutic interventions are performed, additional specific safety measures are needed to prevent complications.
Strong recommendation, high quality evidence.
Impaired epithelial wound healing has significant pathophysiological implications in several conditions including gastrointestinal ulcers, anastomotic leakage and venous or diabetic skin ulcers. ...Promising drug candidates for accelerating wound closure are commonly evaluated in in vitro wound assays. However, staining procedures and discontinuous monitoring are major drawbacks hampering accurate assessment of wound assays. We therefore investigated digital holographic microscopy (DHM) to appropriately monitor wound healing in vitro and secondly, to provide multimodal quantitative information on morphological and functional cell alterations as well as on motility changes upon cytokine stimulation. Wound closure as reflected by proliferation and migration of Caco-2 cells in wound healing assays was studied and assessed in time-lapse series for 40 h in the presence of stimulating epidermal growth factor (EGF) and inhibiting mitomycin c. Therefore, digital holograms were recorded continuously every thirty minutes. Morphological changes including cell thickness, dry mass and tissue density were analyzed by data from quantitative digital holographic phase microscopy. Stimulation of Caco-2 cells with EGF or mitomycin c resulted in significant morphological changes during wound healing compared to control cells. In conclusion, DHM allows accurate, stain-free and continuous multimodal quantitative monitoring of wound healing in vitro and could be a promising new technique for assessment of wound healing.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract
This ESGE Position Statement defines the expected value of artificial intelligence (AI) for the diagnosis and management of gastrointestinal neoplasia within the framework of the performance ...measures already defined by ESGE. This is based on the clinical relevance of the expected task and the preliminary evidence regarding artificial intelligence in artificial or clinical settings.
Main recommendations:
(1) For acceptance of AI in assessment of completeness of upper GI endoscopy, the adequate level of mucosal inspection with AI should be comparable to that assessed by experienced endoscopists. (2) For acceptance of AI in assessment of completeness of upper GI endoscopy, automated recognition and photodocumentation of relevant anatomical landmarks should be obtained in ≥90% of the procedures. (3) For acceptance of AI in the detection of Barrett’s high grade intraepithelial neoplasia or cancer, the AI-assisted detection rate for suspicious lesions for targeted biopsies should be comparable to that of experienced endoscopists with or without advanced imaging techniques. (4) For acceptance of AI in the management of Barrett’s neoplasia, AI-assisted selection of lesions amenable to endoscopic resection should be comparable to that of experienced endoscopists. (5) For acceptance of AI in the diagnosis of gastric precancerous conditions, AI-assisted diagnosis of atrophy and intestinal metaplasia should be comparable to that provided by the established biopsy protocol, including the estimation of extent, and consequent allocation to the correct endoscopic surveillance interval. (6) For acceptance of artificial intelligence for automated lesion detection in small-bowel capsule endoscopy (SBCE), the performance of AI-assisted reading should be comparable to that of experienced endoscopists for lesion detection, without increasing but possibly reducing the reading time of the operator. (7) For acceptance of AI in the detection of colorectal polyps, the AI-assisted adenoma detection rate should be comparable to that of experienced endoscopists. (8) For acceptance of AI optical diagnosis (computer-aided diagnosis CADx) of diminutive polyps (≤5 mm), AI-assisted characterization should match performance standards for implementing resect-and-discard and diagnose-and-leave strategies. (9) For acceptance of AI in the management of polyps ≥ 6 mm, AI-assisted characterization should be comparable to that of experienced endoscopists in selecting lesions amenable to endoscopic resection.
Abstract
The European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) together with the United European Gastroenterology (UEG) recently developed a short list of performance measures for small-bowel ...endoscopy (i. e. small-bowel capsule endoscopy and device-assisted enteroscopy) with the final goal of providing endoscopy services across Europe with a tool for quality improvement. Six key performance measures for both small-bowel capsule endoscopy and for device-assisted enteroscopy were selected for inclusion, with the intention being that practice at both a service and endoscopist level should be evaluated against them. Other performance measures were considered to be less relevant, based on an assessment of their overall importance, scientific acceptability, and feasibility. Unlike lower and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, where performance measures had already been identified, this is the first time that small-bowel endoscopy quality measures have been proposed.
Double- vs. single-balloon vs. spiral enteroscopy Lenz, Philipp, MD; Domagk, Dirk, MD, FASGE
Baillière's best practice & research. Clinical gastroenterology,
06/2012, Volume:
26, Issue:
3
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Starting with the introduction of the double-balloon enteroscope in 2001, two more techniques have been successfully developed for small bowel investigation (single-balloon enteroscopy, spiral ...enteroscopy). To compare the different enteroscopy systems, within this review, 68 studies were analyzed and put into context. The procedural characteristics (mean insertion depth, diagnostic yields, adverse events) were comparable for DBE, SBE or SE. The higher panenteroscopy rate in DBE might not have any clinical relevance. Therapeutic procedures, such as argon-plasma coagulation, polypectomy, dilation therapy and foreign body extraction are described with the DBE and SBE procedure. With regard to the present literature, the balloon-assisted devices as well as spiral enteroscopy technique seem to be equally suitable in clinical routine for imaging of the small bowel. The choice of the method should be based on availability, physicians’ experience and clinical implications. Future randomized, controlled trials with large numbers of patients are needed to work out the subtleties of every single method.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Abstract
The European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and United European Gastroenterology present a short list of key performance measures for endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and endoscopic ...retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). We recommend that endoscopy services across Europe adopt the following seven key and one minor performance measures for EUS and ERCP, for measurement and evaluation in daily practice at center and endoscopist level:
1
Adequate antibiotic prophylaxis before ERCP (key performance measure, at least 90 %);
2
Antibiotic prophylaxis before EUS-guided puncture of cystic lesions (key performance measure, at least 95 %);
3
Bile duct cannulation rate (key performance measure, at least 90 %);
4
Tissue sampling during EUS (key performance measure, at least 85 %);
5
Appropriate stent placement in patients with biliary obstruction below the hilum (key performance measure, at least 95 %);
6
Bile duct stone extraction (key performance measure, at least 90 %);
7
Post-ERCP pancreatitis (key performance measure, less than 10 %).
8
Adequate documentation of EUS landmarks (minor performance measure, at least 90 %).
This present list of quality performance measures for ERCP and EUS recommended by ESGE should not be considered to be exhaustive: it might be extended in future to address further clinical and scientific issues.
AIM:To compare endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography(ERCP),intraductal ultrasound(IDUS),endosonography(EUS),endoscopic transpapillary forceps biopsies(ETP)and computed tomography(CT)with ...respect to diagnosing malignant bile duct strictures.METHODS:A patient cohort with bile duct strictures of unknown etiology was examined by ERCP and IDUS,ETP,EUS,and CT.The sensitivity,specificity,and accuracy rates of the diagnostic procedures were calculated based on the definite diagnoses proved by histopathology or long-term follow-up in those patients who did not undergo surgery.For each of the diagnostic measures,the sensitivity,specificity,and accuracy rates were calculated.In all cases,the gold standard was the histopathologic staging of specimens or long-term follow-up of at least 12 mo.A comparison of the accuracy rates between the localization of strictures was performed by using the Mann-Whitney U-test and theχ2test as appropriate.A comparison of the accuracy rates between the diagnostic procedures was performed by using the McNemar’s test.Differences were considered statistically significant if P<0.05.RESULTS:A total of 234 patients(127 males,107 females,median age 64,range 20-90 years)with indeterminate bile duct strictures were included.A total of 161patients underwent operative exploration;thus,a surgical histopathological correlation was available for those patients.A total of 113 patients had malignant disease proven by surgery;in 48 patients,benign disease was surgically found.In these patients,the decision for surgical exploration was made due to the suspicion of malignant disease in multimodal diagnostics(ERCP,CT,or EUS).Fifty patients had a benign diagnosis and were followed by a surveillance protocol with a followup of at least 12 mo;the median follow-up was 34 mo.Twenty-three patients had extended malignant disease,and thus were considered palliative.A comparison of the different diagnostic tools for detecting bile duct malignancy resulted in accuracy rates of 91%(ERCP/IDUS),59%(ETP),92%(IDUS+ETP),74%(EUS),and 73%(CT),respectively.In the subgroup analysis,the accuracy rates(%,ERCP+IDUS/ETP/IDUS+ETP;EUS;CT)for each tumor entity were as follows:cholangiocellular carcinoma:92%/74%/92%/70%/79%;pancreatic carcinoma:90%/68%/90%/81%/76%;and ampullary carcinoma:88%/90%/90%/76%/76%.The detection rate of malignancy by ERCP/IDUS was superior to ETP(91%vs 59%,P<0.0001),EUS(91%vs74%,P<0.0001)and CT(91%vs 73%,P<0.0001);EUS was comparable to CT(74%vs 73%,P=0.649).When analyzing accuracy rates with regard to localization of the bile duct stenosis,the accuracy rate of EUS for proximal vs distal stenosis was significantly higher for distal stenosis(79%vs 57%,P<0.0001).CONCLUSION:ERCP/IDUS is superior to EUS and CT in providing accurate diagnoses of bile duct strictures of uncertain etiology.Multimodal diagnostics is recommended.
The European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) and United European Gastroenterology (UEG) have a vision to create a thriving community of endoscopy services across Europe, collaborating ...with each other to provide high quality, safe, accurate, patient-centered and accessible endoscopic care. Whilst the boundaries of what can be achieved by advanced endoscopy are continually expanding, we believe that one of the most fundamental steps to achieving our goal is to raise the quality of everyday endoscopy. The development of robust, consensus- and evidence-based key performance measures is the first step in this vision.
ESGE and UEG have identified quality of endoscopy as a major priority. This paper explains the rationale behind the ESGE Quality Improvement Initiative and describes the processes that were followed. We recommend that all units develop mechanisms for audit and feedback of endoscopist and service performance using the ESGE performance measures that will be published in future issues of this journal over the next year. We urge all endoscopists and endoscopy services to prioritize quality and to ensure that these performance measures are implemented and monitored at a local level, so that we can provide the highest possible care for our patients.
(1) Background: As the number of people receiving specialized palliative care (PC) continues to rise, there is a need to ensure the transfer of this expertise from university-based PC departments to ...primary care hospitals without such in-house access. The present study examines the potential of telemedicine to bridge these gaps. (2) Methods: This is a prospective multi-center feasibility trial. All physicians were appropriately pre-equipped and instructed to conduct telemedical consultations (TCs), which took place within fixed meetings or on-call appointments either related or unrelated to individual patients (allowing TCs also for educational and knowledge exchange purposes). (3) Results: An inquiry for participation was submitted to 11 hospitals, with 5 external hospitals actively cooperating. In the first study section, a total of 57 patient cases were included within 95 patient-related TCs during 80 meetings. Other university disciplines were involved in 21 meetings (26.2%). Therapy adjustments resulted following 25 of 71 affected TCs (35.2%). In 20 cases (21.1%), an on-site consultation at the university hospital was avoided, and in 12 cases (12.6%), a transfer was avoided. Overall, TCs were considered helpful in resolving issues for 97.9% of the cases (
= 93). Yet, technical problems arose in about one-third of all meetings for at least one physician (36.2%;
= 29). Besides, in the second study section, we also conducted 43 meetings between physicians for education and knowledge exchange only. (4) Conclusions: Telemedicine has the potential to transfer university expertise to external hospitals through simple means. It improves collaboration among physicians, may prevent unnecessary transfers or outpatient presentations, and is thus likely to lower costs.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
10.
Single-Balloon Enteroscopy Lenz, Philipp; Domagk, Dirk
Gastrointestinal endoscopy clinics of North America,
01/2017, Volume:
27, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Single-balloon enteroscopy is among 3 device-assisted enteroscopy systems on the market. Compared with double-balloon enteroscopy, no significant difference in diagnostic yield was found. ...Additionally, no significant difference was found in oral and anal insertion depth, adverse events, or procedure times. Some studies observed lower complete enteroscopy rates, which have evidently no diagnostic impact. With a learning curve of around 30 procedures, the single-balloon endoscope is a safe endoscopic tool, which seems equally suitable for diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. Carbon dioxide should be used for single-balloon endoscopy procedures, especially in patients with a history of surgical abdominal interventions.
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