Is double-balloon enteroscopy superior to spiral enteroscopy?

摘要

The small intestine had long been considered uncharted tenitory for endoscopy outside the operating room until capsule endoscopy (CE)1 and double-balloon endoscopy (DBE)2 were developed early in the 21st century. CE enabled endoscopic imaging of the entire small intestine without patient discomfort. Although it is a technical breakthrough in the diagnosis of small-intestinal diseases, CE still does not offer targeted inspection of suspect areas or interventional capabilities such as biopsy or therapeutic maneuvers. DBE is the first endoscopic technique that allows reliably controlled deep enteroscopy without laparotomy.