Amr MA, et al. Endoscopy in the early postoperative setting after primary gastrointestinal anastomosis. J Gastrointest Surg. 2014 Nov;18(11):1911-6. Full-text for Emory users.

Methods: Review of patients from 2002 to 2013 who underwent flexible endoscopy within 6 weeks of creation of gastrointestinal anastomosis. Exclusion criteria included intraoperative endoscopy, anastomotic perforation prior to endoscopy, and endoscopy remote from the anastomotic site. Data are presented as median (interquartile range; IQR) or percentages as appropriate.

Results: Twenty-four patients met our criteria (age 69 years [IQR 54-77], 54% men]). Endoscopy was performed at a median postoperative time of 18 days (IQR 8-30). Indications for endoscopy included bleeding (66%), obstruction (13%), pain (13%), concern for pancreatic duct leak (4%), and concern for ischemia (4%). Six patients underwent therapeutic endoscopic procedures including coagulation (8%), balloon dilation (8%), tube decompression (8%), and stent placement (4%). There were no anastomotic perforations or disruptions as a result of endoscopy.