Atypical diagnosis by endoscopic capsule: Whipple's disease

Whipple's disease is a chronic systemic infection produced by the actinomycete Tropheryma whipplei. Endoscopic tests are key in the diagnosis as they allow biopsy and histopathological examination for definitive diagnosis of this entity. We present a case of Whipple's disease where capsule...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Alba Martínez-Sánchez, Francisco L. Sánchez-Ceballos, Servando Fernández-Díez, María Luisa Suárez-Solís, Matilde Asteinza-Daganzo, Walid Baki, José Miguel Esteban, Enrique Rey-Díaz-Rubio
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Aran Ediciones
Series:Revista Espanola de Enfermedades Digestivas
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Online Access:http://scielo.isciii.es/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1130-01082016000300010&lng=en&tlng=en
Description
Summary:Whipple's disease is a chronic systemic infection produced by the actinomycete Tropheryma whipplei. Endoscopic tests are key in the diagnosis as they allow biopsy and histopathological examination for definitive diagnosis of this entity. We present a case of Whipple's disease where capsule endoscopy, uncommon for the diagnosis of this condition, was essential for it and its performance before and after antibiotic treatment allows to describe the macroscopic evolution of the findings in the small bowel. This case illustrates the usefulness of capsule endoscopy to allow complete examination of the small bowel disease in which up to 30% of patients may present with normal endoscopy.
ISSN:1130-0108