title: Is there a role for colon capsule endoscopy beyond colorectal cancer screening? A literature review.
abstract: Colon capsule endoscopy is recommended in Europe alternatively to colonoscopy for colorectal cancer screening in average risk individuals. The procedure has also been proposed to complete colon examination in cases of incomplete colonoscopy or when colonoscopy is contraindicated or refused by the patient. As tissue samples cannot be obtained with the current capsule device, colon capsule endoscopy has no place in diagnosing ulcerative colitis or in dysplasia surveillance. Nevertheless, data are accumulating regarding its feasibility to examine ulcerative colitis disease extent and to monitor disease activity and mucosal healing, even though reported results on the capsule's performance in this field vary greatly. In this review we present the currently available evidence for the use of colon capsule endoscopy to complement colonoscopy failure to reach the cecum and its use to evaluate ulcerative colitis disease activity and extent. Moreover, we provide an outlook on issues requiring further investigation before the capsule becomes a mainstream alternative to colonoscopy in such cases.
authors.affiliation: Konstantinos Triantafyllou, Iosif Beintaris, George D Dimitriadis, Hepatogastroenterology Unit, Second Department of Internal Medicine and Research Institute, Attikon University General Hospital, Medical School, Athens University, 12462 Haidari, Greece.
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Triantafyllou
authors.affiliation: Konstantinos Triantafyllou, Iosif Beintaris, George D Dimitriadis, Hepatogastroenterology Unit, Second Department of Internal Medicine and Research Institute, Attikon University General Hospital, Medical School, Athens University, 12462 Haidari, Greece.
authors.forename: Iosif
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Beintaris
authors.affiliation: Konstantinos Triantafyllou, Iosif Beintaris, George D Dimitriadis, Hepatogastroenterology Unit, Second Department of Internal Medicine and Research Institute, Attikon University General Hospital, Medical School, Athens University, 12462 Haidari, Greece.
authors.forename: George D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Dimitriadis
mesh_terms: D053704:Capsule Endoscopy; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D003106:Colon / Q000473:pathology*; D003113:Colonoscopy; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000473:pathology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014945:Wound Healing
keywords: Capsule endoscopy; Colon; Gastrointestinal endoscopy; Incomplete colonoscopy; Ulcerative colitis