Double balloon endoscopy

The endoscopic examination of the whole intestinum is an old dream of gastroenterology. With the standard endoscopy of the upper and lower intestinum it is only possible to examine the terminal ileum and upper small intestine. Usually, 50 - 70 cm, in ideal case 90 cm of duodenum and jejunum could be examined by push enteroscopy. Quite recently, the biggest part of the 4-6 m measuring small intestine could only be presentable through methods of radiology and nuclear medicine.

Introducing capsule endoscopy, it was possible for the first time to get endoscopic pictures of the whole small intestinum. The known disadvantage of capsule endoscopy are missing controllability and possibility to get biopsies and the impossibility to make therapeutic encroachments.

Double balloon enteroscopy has conquered this limitation and has bridged the last gap of diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy in the gastrointestinal tract.