European Novel Motorized Spiral Endoscopy Trial

General anesthesia and/or sedation will be prescribed according to institutional practices and clinical judgment; type, amount and duration will be recorded.

A standard esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) will be performed prior to the enteroscopy. If during this preliminary exam the endoscopist identifies any stricture or believes the patient has anatomy that would cause excessive resistance during Novel Motorized Spiral insertion or examination, the patient will be withdrawn from the study and the reason for study withdrawal will be noted.

The Novel Motorized Spiral endoscope will be inserted and advanced with the assistance of motorized clockwise spiral rotation, (controlled directly by the operating physician via the foot pedal). If at any point a stricture is observed or excessive resistance to the advancement of the endoscope is encountered, further advancement of the endoscope must cease and the reason for procedure termination documented on the case report form.

After reaching the depth of insertion required for patient treatment or diagnosis, the endoscope will be withdrawn using motorized counter-clockwise spiral rotation, also controlled by the foot pedal. Maximum depth of insertion will be recorded as the maximum insertion depth when failure to advance the endoscope tip after repositioning the patient, applying abdominal pressure and/or using other standard measures fails to advance the endoscope OR the investigator decides to terminate advancement based on clinical judgment. During withdrawal, the endoscopist will cumulatively estimate the length of bowel released from the endoscope tip in order to calculate the total depth of insertion. Insertion depth will be referenced to the Ligament Treitz. If the clinician decides to mark the point of maximum insertion, the tissue may be tattooed by first creating a saline bleb, followed by the injection of India ink (e.g., SPOT).

Tissue sampling and/or therapies will be performed during withdrawal as clinically appropriate. The details of all sampling and/or therapies (number, type & location) will be recorded.

The comfort and cardiopulmonary stability of the patient will be monitored throughout the procedure, as per the standard of care - this includes continuous pulse oximetry, blood pressure, and heart rate monitoring.

Photographs or video recordings are used to document any significant lesions and any tissue trauma.

Postprocedural measures Patients will be hospitalized for at least 24 hours after NMSE because of the potential risk of delayed adverse events. Only liquid diet is allowed during the first 12 hours in asymptomatic patients. Clinical investigation and determination of the blood cell count and the serum level of C-reactive protein will be done after 24 hours. 30 days after the procedure patients will be interviewed by a telephone call for evaluation of complaints or delayed complications. Discomfort (location and severity (0-10 VAS) should be documented immediately after NMSE, after 24 hours and before discharge.

Inclusion criteria

• Overt obscure gastrointestinal bleeding or obscure gastrointestinal bleeding or indeterminate iron-deficiency anaemia and positive videocapsule endoscopy (VCE) or negative VCE in patients who have ongoing bleeding shown by overt bleeding or continued need for blood transfusions
• Abdominal pain or chronic diarrhoea with positive findings of small bowel imaging examinations
• Noncontributory ileocolonoscopy and suspicion of Crohn's disease on small-bowel cross-sectional imaging modalities or small-bowel capsule endoscopy
• Further evaluation of known Crohn's disease or therapeutic indications in Crohn's disease
• Imaging tests suspicious for small-bowel tumour
• Large polyps (>10-15mm) discovered by radiological examination or small-bowel capsule endoscopy in patients with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome
• Nonresponsive or refractory coeliac disease

Exclusion criteria

• Age under 18 years
• Health status American Society of Anesthesiologists classification (ASA) 4
• Pregnancy
• Coagulopathy (INR≥2.0, Platelets < 70/nl)
• Taking anti-platelet agents or anticoagulants (other than aspirin) within last 7 days
• Any medical contraindication to standard enteroscopy
• Presence of any intraluminal or extraluminal foreign body in the abdominal cavity
• Any prior gastric, small bowel or colonic surgery, or implantable devices in these locations (cardiac pacemakers and non-abdominal implants are acceptable)
• Known or suspected bowel obstruction or stenosis or history of bowel obstruction
• Known coagulation disorder
• Known or suspected esophageal stricture or Schatzki ring
• Known gastric or esophageal varices
• Suspected perforation of the GI tract
• Inability to tolerate sedation or general anesthesia for any reason
• Inability to tolerate endotracheal intubation
• Absence of a signed informed consent