CE provides a valuable tool in the evaluation of pediatric patients for possible small bowel disease. However, the risk of developing complications appears to be greater in the pediatric population, with 20% of our patients having an adverse event.

Capsule endoscopy is a relatively new technology that has allowed gastroenterologists to visualize the mucosa of the small intestine. This technology is playing an expanding role in both adult and pediatric gastroenterology. In this report, we present an 8-yr-old child following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation who developed large volume bloody diarrhea requiring multiple packed red blood cell transfusions that was resistant to aggressive therapy for GVHD. The capsule endoscopy performed on this patient provided significant information not provided by upper endoscopy and colonoscopy that allowed for successful treatment changes. This case demonstrates that capsule endoscopy is a diagnostic tool that may play an important role in the assessment of patients, including children, with possible GVHD.

No abstract

In our study, 4 of the 7 older children and adolescents with unexplained growth failure and normal small bowel series were found to have Crohn disease involving the small intestine. In addition, we were able to show the improvement on the mean z score for weight after treatment of small bowel Crohn disease was instituted.