From DG News:

Unsedated transnasal endoscopy (TNE) is a safe, low-cost procedure that can help physicians evaluate paediatric patients with potentially chronic problems in their oesophagus, according to a study published in the journal Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

Typically, children with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) are evaluated with esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD); however, this procedure requires sedation.

Joel A. Friedlander, DO, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, and colleagues evaluated whether the use of a much thinner scope inserted through the nose rather than the mouth, without the risks and costs of anaesthesia, could be as effective in evaluating a patient.

Between March 2014 and January 2015, 21 patients aged 8 to 17 were enrolled in the study. The research team reviewed the quality of biopsy specimens and the satisfaction and comfort of patients with the procedure.

Results showed that TNE was safe, preferred by patients and parents alike, and had the potential to dramatically reduce costs, with oesophagus biopsies as good as those from EGD procedures.

The cost and the procedure’s length of time are significantly reduced because the patient does not need to be sedated to perform TNE. Topical anaesthetics were used and patients were equipped with video goggles to watch movies or television programs to distract them during the process.

According to the study, the patients and their parents expressed a high level of satisfaction with the procedure because of the lack of anaesthesia, the presence of parents during the procedure, the limited duration of the procedure, rapid recovery, and improvement in their quality of life.

“Our study provides strong support for larger studies to validate this approach,” said Friedlander. “This technique has the potential to significantly improve the lives of children with EoE in a safer, cost-effective, and efficacious manner.”

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