Esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy is not indicated in patients with positive immunochemical test and nonexplanatory colonoscopy

OBJECTIVES: Patients with positive fecal occult blood test and unrevealing colonoscopy are often advised to undergo esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy (EGD) to exclude a bleeding source in the upper gastrointestinal tract. In this study, we evaluated EGD findings in patients with positive immunochemical fecal occult blood test (I-FOBT) not explained by colonoscopy. METHODS: Out of 1221 consecutive patients having total colonoscopy after preparing I-FOBT (OC-MICRO, with threshold of 75 or 100 ngHb/ml), we included only patients without colorectal cancer or advanced adenomatous polyp on colonoscopy, who also underwent EGD within 4 months of the fecal blood testing. Findings on EGD were classified as those lesions which are likely or unlikely to bleed. RESULTS: EGD was performed in 160 patients after a negative colonoscopy. The procedure was performed 1.6 ± 1.4 months after the I-FOBT. Lesion with a bleeding potential was found in 24 patients (15%). In three (12.5%) and two (8.3%) of these patients I-FOBT was positive at the 75 and 100 ngHb/ml threshold, respectively. In 136 patients EGD was normal, and I-FOBT was similarly positive in 16 (11.7%) and 13 patients (9.5%), respectively. The mean fecal hemoglobin was also similar between the groups. CONCLUSION: Immunological FOBT positivity was not correlated with the finding of lesions, which are likely to bleed on EGD. Thus, EGD is probably not indicated in patients with positive I-FOBT and unrevealing colonoscopy.