Is There a Role for Sonde Enteroscopy in Patients with Obscure Gastrointestinal Bleeding? A Comparison with Capsule Endoscopy.

Background: In the 1980's and 1990's combined Push and Sonde Enteroscopy was the primary endoscopic tool used to evaluate the small intestine in patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB). It was available in only a few centers due to the technical difficulties associated with its use. The introduction of wireless capsule endoscopy in 2001 revolutionalized small bowel endoscopic imaging making Sonde enteroscopy a rarely used procedure despite the lack of studies comparing the efficacy of the two modalities.