Researchers from the Baltimore-based Mercy Medical Center identified 21 patients who experienced perforations during colonoscopy. The researchers evaluated the effectiveness and reliability of endoscopic clips and endoscopic suturing devices, the two methods of closure used on these patients.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. More than 14.2 million people in the United States receive colonoscopies every year. Perforations occur in as many as one out of every 1,000 procedures — meaning physicians must repair a potential 14,200 colonic perforations each year.
2. Of the 21 patients the researchers investigated, five were treated with endoscopic clips and 16 were treated with an endoscopic suturing device.
3. The five patients who received endoscopic clip closures all experienced worsening abdominal pain and required laparoscopy or rescue colonoscopy with an endoscopic suturing device.
4. Of the 16 patients who initially received endoscopic suturing devices, the majority did not require any laparoscopy or rescue surgery.
5. The researchers concluded that endoscopic suturing devices are effective at eliminating the need for rescue surgery. However, they acknowledge that more research is necessary, due to the limited nature of this small study.
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