Present role of intraoperative enteroscopy in small bowel bleeding: A tertiary center experience

The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic yield and outcomes of intraoperative enteroscopy (IOE) in patients with overt small bowel bleeding in the era of balloon-assisted enteroscopy and capsule endoscopy. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with small bowel bleeding who underwent IOE from January 2005 to April 2016 in a tertiary medical center. A total of 18 patients with overt small bowel bleeding who underwent a total 18 IOE procedures were included. The mean amount of blood transfusion was 35.7 units (SD, 21.4 units), and 11 patients had hypovolemic shock. The diagnostic yield of the IOE procedures was 94.4% (17/18). The most common pathologic diagnosis was ulcer. The rebleeding rate was 44.4% (8/18), and the overall survival rate was 61.1% (11/18). IOE remains a valuable tool for diagnosing overt small bowel bleeding. The usage of IOE might potentially be limited due to critical clinical conditions in the era of deep enteroscopy. A specific caution should be taken in performing IOE due to the high morbidity of the procedure.