title: Is the use of AGILE patency capsule prior to videocapsule endoscopy useful in all patients with spondyloarthritis?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  As already known, spondyloarthritis patients present a striking resemblance in intestinal inflammation with early Crohn's disease. Moreover, the frequent use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is an important part of their treatment. Both conditions could lead to intestinal stenoses. Therefore we proposed to investigate the usefulness of the patency capsule test in patients with spondyloarthritis.
  
  
  METHODS
  64 consecutive patients (33 males; mean age 38 ± 11 years) that fulfilled the AMOR criteria for seronegative spondyloarthropathy (59.4% ankylosing spondylitis) lacking symptoms or signs of intestinal stenosis were enrolled and submitted to an AGILE™ capsule patency test followed by a video capsule endoscopy (PillCam SB2™), as part of a protocol investigating the presence of intestinal inflammatory lesions. After reviewing the VCE recordings, the Lewis score (of small bowel inflammatory involvement) was computed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In only 5 patients (7.8%) of the study group, the luminal patency test was negative. However, there was no retention of the videocapsule in any of the patients. From the 59 patients with a positive patency test, 3 patients presented single small bowel stenoses (two with ulcerated overlying inflamed mucosa, one cicatricial), all being traversed by the videocapsule along the length of the recording. None of the patients with a negative test had bowel stenoses. There was no correlation between the patency test and the Lewis score, the C reactive protein value, diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease, or the family history of spondyloarthritis, psoriasis or inflammatory bowel disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The AGILE patency capsule does not seem to be a useful tool for all patients with spondyloarthritis prior to small bowel videocapsule endoscopy (ClinicalTrial.gov ID NCT 00768950).
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology Department, "Colentina" Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: Andrada
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gheorghe
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology Department, "Colentina" Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: Denise Carmen Mihaela
authors.initials: DCM
authors.lastname: Zahiu
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology Department, "Colentina" Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, Romania.|Internal Medicine Department, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: Theodor Alexandru
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Voiosu
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology Department, "Colentina" Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, Romania.|Internal Medicine Department, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: Bogdan Radu
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Mateescu
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology Department, "Colentina" Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, Romania.|Internal Medicine Department, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: Mihail Radu
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Voiosu
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology Department, "Colentina" Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, Romania.|Internal Medicine Department, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: Mihai
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rimbaş
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D053704:Capsule Endoscopy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007415:Intestinal Obstruction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D007421:Intestine, Small; D008297:Male; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000150:complications*
keywords: AGILE; patency capsule; spondyloarthritis; videocapsule endoscopy