Accuracy of automatic detection of small-bowel mucosa by second-generation colon capsule endoscopy

BackgroundColon capsule endoscopy (CCE) is a noninvasive technique for the detection of colorectal lesions. However, for CCE to be offered as an out-of-clinic procedure, the system needs to automatically alert the patient when to ingest the laxative (booster).ObjectiveWe tested the reliability of the automatic detection of the small-bowel (SB) mucosa and the subsequent alert for booster ingestion by the Data Recorder 3 (DR3) of the second-generation CCE (CCE-2).Design and SettingRetrospective analysis.Patients and InterventionData from 120 consecutive cases of CCE-2 were analyzed for proper DR3 automatic detection of the capsule entering the SB to prompt the patient to ingest the laxative booster.Main Outcome MeasurementsAccuracy of the DR3 for detecting the SB mucosa.ResultsThe DR3 correctly identified the proper time for ingestion of the laxative (booster) in 118 of 120 cases, corresponding to a sensitivity of 98.3% (95% CI, 97%-100%). The median time difference between DR3 automatic SB detection to the observed entrance of the capsule into the SB was 3 minutes 30 seconds (interquartile range 2 minutes 35 seconds to 5 minutes 57 seconds).LimitationRetrospective analysis.ConclusionsThe 98.3% sensitivity of the DR3 for automatic identification of the SB mucosa and subsequent alert for the first laxative (booster) ingestion paves the way for CCE-2 to be offered as an out-of-clinic procedure.