Capsule endoscopy for acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding: Is the cherry ripe yet?

摘要

We read with interest the prospective cohort study by Gralnek et al. [1], which used the PillCam ESO 2 (Given Imaging Ltd., Yoqneam, Israel) in the emergency department for patients presenting with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding. This represents part of a limited emerging literature on the subject [2-4]. Although the feasibility and safety of video capsule endoscopy (VCE) in this clinical setting appear clear, there remain a number of obstacles to be overcome before VCE can become an integral part of the initial emergency department assessment of upper gastrointestinal bleeding.