Enteroscopy

Wireless capsule endoscopy and double-balloon endoscopy are new methods of enteroscopy that have been introduced in recent years. Wireless capsule endoscopy is an epoch-making examination method that makes possible an endoscopic imaging examination of the entire small intestine without discomfort and without confining patients to a medical facility. Although it is expected to be useful as an initial examination for finding diseases of the small intestine, it cannot be used for biopsy or treatment. One risk associated with the capsule endoscopy technique is entrapment by strictures. Double-balloon endoscopy is based on a new insertion technique in which two balloons, one at the distal end of the endoscope and the other at the distal end of an overtube, are operated in combination, and the endoscope is inserted while simultaneously shortening the intestine. It can be inserted through either the mouth or the anus, allowing the observation of the entire gastrointestinal tract. It features excellent maneuverability even in the distal small intestine, and enables back-and-forth observation, biopsy, and endoscopic treatment at any given site. These two new enteroscopy techniques are expected to lead to innovations in how diseases of the small intestine are approached.