Small bowel endoscopy in inflammatory bowel disease

The last decade has witnessed a revolution in small bowel (SB) endoscopy technologies. Endoscopists are no longer confined to the use of push enteroscopy or the significantly more invasive intra-operative enteroscopy: SB capsule endoscopy (SBCE) and device assisted enteroscopy (DAE) have rapidly enabled endoscopic visualisation of the entire SB without the need for surgery. DAE goes a step further by allowing tissue sampling and the application of endotherapy. These developments have also been parallelled by rapid advances in dedicated radiological SB imaging technologies. Although it is clear that SBCE and DAE may have a significant role in the diagnosis and management of IBD patients, their respective place in relation to other technologies within the clinical paradigm of IBD is as yet unclear. This review outlines the current evidence base relating to these endoscopic technologies and their impact in the diagnosis and management of IBD and highlights current international recommendations.