Clinical Significance of Small-Bowel Mucosal Changes in Liver Cirrhosis Patients With Suspected Small-Bowel Bleeding: A Capsule Endoscopy Study.

Background And Aim: Although the type and prevalence of small-bowel lesions in patients with liver cirrhosis have been reported, the clinical significance of their endoscopic features is unclear. We aimed to clarify their association with small-bowel bleeding in liver cirrhosis patients with suspected small-bowel bleeding.

Methods: We retrospectively included 165 patients with liver cirrhosis (96 men; median age, 73 years) who underwent capsule endoscopy at our institution: 32 without portal hypertensive enteropathy (Grade 0), 101 with inflammatory-like abnormalities (Grade 1), and 32 with vascular lesions (Grade 2). The main outcome measures were the rates of small-bowel bleeding at the initial bleeding episode and rebleeding. Factors associated with Grade 2 portal hypertensive enteropathy were examined.

Results: At the time of initial bleeding, 66% of patients with Grade 2 portal hypertensive enteropathy had small-bowel bleeding, compared with only 3% of those with Grades 0 or 1 portal hypertensive enteropathy. Furthermore, the cumulative rebleeding rate from small-bowel lesions 1 year after the initial bleeding was 33% in patients with Grade 2, compared to 0% in those with Grades 0 and 1. Colorectal angioectasia, Child-Pugh Grade C cirrhosis, and a history of blood transfusion were independent predictors of small-bowel vascular lesions.

Conclusion: Our results suggest that patients with colorectal angioectasia, Child-Pugh Grade C cirrhosis, or a history of blood transfusion have a high risk of small-bowel bleeding and should, therefore, be examined via capsule endoscopy.