PillCam SB Helps Doctors Treat Children with Crohn’s Disease More Effectively

YOQNEAM, ISRAEL – Given Imaging Ltd. announced that a study published in the July issue of the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition found PillCam® capsule endoscopy of the small bowel may enable more targeted and effective therapies for children with Crohn’s disease. According to the study, the opportunities for improved treatment regimens were a direct result of reclassifying inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) from ulcerative or indeterminate colitis to definitive Crohn’s disease and from uncovering a more significant burden of small bowel disease for those children already diagnosed with Crohn’s disease.

The retrospective cohort analysis was conducted by Stanley Cohen, MD, of the Children’s Center for Digestive Healthcare in Atlanta, Ga.

"PillCam SB is a valuable tool that allows gastroenterologists to make better medical decisions and tailor pharmacological management, resulting in improved patient outcomes for those who suffer from IBD," said Cohen. "Information obtained through PillCam SB capsule endoscopy can enable us to reclassify disease or understand the full extent to which the disease is affecting patients, thus facilitating more targeted and effective treatment regimens."

The retrospective cohort analysis examined the medical records of patients from ages two to 18 years of age who had been previously diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis or indeterminate colitis and whose disease had flared within the previous three years, leading to capsule endoscopy. Twenty-eight (28) patients met the criteria for inclusion in the study. Key findings include:

• 71 percent (5/7) of patients with ulcerative or indeterminate colitis had small bowel CE findings that led to reclassification of disease (from ulcerative or indeterminate colitis to Crohn’s disease), resulting in a change in medical management.

• 62 percent (13/21) of patients with Crohn’s disease were found to have more extensive (more proximal) small bowel disease than previously identified, 92 percent of which occurred in the jejunum, suggesting that pediatric Crohn’s disease may involve the proximal small bowel more than previously reported.

• Of those with previously unrecognized jejunal disease, 92 percent (11/12) of treatment regimens were altered based upon the new CE findings.

The study authors also noted an additional benefit of CE was to help patients and their parents better understand the disease process and rationale for therapeutic recommendations.

The PillCam SB 2 video capsule, when used with the PillCam Platform, is intended for visualization of the small bowel mucosa. It may be used as a tool in the detection of abnormalities of the small bowel in adults and children from 10 years of age and up. The PillCam SB 2 video capsule and PillCam Platform are not cleared for use in children under 10 years of age and should not be used outside of the context of approved clinical trials with such patients.

Source: Given Imaging