Journal Article

Pediatric Colonoscopy in South China: A 12-Year Experience in a Tertiary Center

Sun, Yuli, Chen, Minhu, Zhong, Bihui, Zhang, Shenghong, Gu, Fang, Lei, Pingguang, Hong, Liru, Wang, Huiling, Li, Minrui, Cui, Yi

2014

Overview

To investigate: 1) the demographics and clinical characteristics, 2) the findings, and 3) the safety and effectiveness in a cohort of Chinese pediatric patients undergoing colonoscopy. The study participants were consecutive patients aged ≤14 years old that underwent their first colonoscopy in the endoscopy center at the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University between Jan. 1, 2001 and Dec. 31, 2012. Demographic, clinical, endoscopic, and pathological findings were collected. The cohort consisted of 322 patients, including 218 boys (67.7%) and 104 girls (32.3%). The median age was 8.0 years old and ranged from 9 months to 14 years old. Hematochezia (48.8%) and abdominal pain/discomfort (41.3%) were the most common presentations preceding pediatric colonoscopy. The caecal intubation success rate was 96.3%. No serious complications occurred during the procedures. A total of 227 patients (70.5%) received a positive diagnosis under endoscopy, including 138 patients with polyps and 53 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Among the patients with polyps, 71.0% were juvenile polyps. Comparisons between years 2001-2006 and 2007-2012 showed that the IBD detection rate increased significantly (4.6% vs. 22.4%, P<0.001), while the opposite occurred for the polyp detection rate (73.1% vs. 27.6%, P<0.001). Colonoscopy in pediatric patients is a safe and effective procedure. Polyps are the primary finding during colonoscopy. In South China there has been an increase in pediatric patients diagnosed with IBD over the past decade. However, a large epidemiological study is needed to confirm our findings.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Abdominal Pain - diagnosis / Abdominal Pain - etiology / Adolescent / Analysis / Anesthesia / Biology and Life Sciences / Care and treatment / Child / Child, Preschool / Children / China / Colon / Colonic Polyps - diagnosis / Colonoscopy / Colonoscopy - adverse effects / Colonoscopy - methods / Complications / Demographics / Demography / Diagnosis / Early Diagnosis / Endoscopes / Endoscopy / Epidemiology / Female / Gastrointestinal diseases / Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage - diagnosis / Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage - etiology / Girls / Health aspects / Humans / Infant / Inflammatory bowel disease / Inflammatory bowel diseases / Inflammatory Bowel Diseases - diagnosis / Intestine / Intubation / Male / Medical diagnosis / Medicine and Health Sciences / Pain / Patients / Polyps / Research and Analysis Methods / Retrospective Studies / Risk factors / Studies