Closure of Gastrointestinal Fistulas and Leaks with the Over-the-Scope Clip: Case-Series Analysis

Over-the-scope clip (OTSC) is widely used in clinics for the treatment of iatrogenic perforations and fistulas and for hemostasis. The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate cases applied with the over-the-scope clip for gastrointestinal fistula or leakage. The study included patients on whom over-the-scope clip was performed because of leakage or fistula in the gastroenterology surgery endoscopy unit between June 2016 and January 2020. The cases were evaluated in terms of age, gender, diagnosis, localization of the defect, additional disease, size of the defect, procedure success, clinical success, number of clips, time of over-the-scope-clip application after the first procedure and duration of follow-up. In 9 patients, 11 over-the-scope clips were used. The procedure was performed in the upper gastrointestinal tract in 5 (55.56%) cases and in the lower gastrointestinal tract in 4 (44.44%) cases. Technical success was achieved in all 11 procedures performed in 9 cases. Long-term clinical success was achieved in 8 of 9 cases. The over-the-scope clip is an endoscopic method that can be used safely in the treatment of gastrointestinal fistulas and leakage of < 1 cm with a low possibility of morbidity and a high success rate.

Automated summary

The study retrospectively evaluated the use of over-the-scope clip in treating gastrointestinal fistula or leakage between June 2016 and January 2020, showing a high success rate in both technical and long-term clinical outcomes.