Surveillance using capsule endoscopy is safe in post-colectomy patients with familial adenomatous polyposis: a prospective Japanese study

The utility of capsule endoscopy (CE) for the surveillance of small intestinal lesions in familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) patients has been reported. However, few studies have investigated the safety of CE in FAP patients who have undergone colon surgery. We aimed to assess the safety of surveillance CE in post-colectomy FAP patients and the endoscopic findings associated with small intestinal lesions. We assessed the safety of CE surveillance of small intestinal lesions in 41 FAP patients who had undergone colectomies. Forty-two CEs were performed in 41 patients at our facility from April 2012 to July 2014. CE was conducted safely and none of the capsules were retained, despite the inclusion of patients who had undergone several abdominal surgeries previously. Thirty-nine out of 42 capsules (93 %) were retrieved within the examination timeframe; hence, the retrieval rate was favorable. The findings from this study indicate that surveillance CE can be safely conducted in post-colectomy FAP patients.