Positioning exercises in improving the quality of magnetic-controlled capsule endoscopy

Background: Good gastric preparation is indispensable for Magnetic-controlled Capsule Endoscopy (MCE) examination, but there is no consensus yet. We aim to explore the clinical application value of positioning exercises in improving the quality of MCE examination.

Methods: Clinical data of 326 patients who underwent MCE examination from January 2020 to December 2023 were collected. The included patients were divided into two groups: the conventional medication preparation group (CMP group, accepted mucosal cleansing medication only) and the positioning exercises group (PE group, accepted mucosal cleansing medication plus positioning exercises). A comparison was made between the two groups in terms of gastric cavity cleanliness score, visibility score, and detection rate of positive lesions.

Results: The examination time was (21.29 ± 5.82) minutes in the PE group and (30.54 ± 6.37) minutes in the CMP group, showing a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.001). The total cleanliness score and visibility score in the CMP group were 15.89 ± 2.82 and 10.93 ± 2.12, respectively. In contrast, the total cleanliness score and visibility score in the PE group were 19.52 ± 2.26 and 15.09 ± 2.31, respectively. The PE group showed significantly better cleanliness scores and visibility scores in all six anatomical regions compared to the CMP group (All P < 0.001). However, there was no significant difference in the detection rate of positive lesions between the two groups (All P > 0.05).

Conclusion: Positioning exercises before MCE examination can improve the quality of gastric mucosal images and reduce the duration of the examination for patients.