Diagnostic Value of Peroral Biopsy of the Proximal Small Intestine

SINCE its introduction over 15 years ago,1 , 2 peroral biopsy of the small intestine has become established as a valuable procedure in the evaluation of patients with malabsorption.3 Only with biopsy can the physician establish or exclude with certainty diffuse disease of the mucosa of the small intestine as the cause of malabsorption, diarrhea and associated nutritional deficiencies.The technic of peroral biopsy is simple and safe. Two rare but serious complications, bleeding4 and perforation,5 have been reported. The frequency of these complications can be minimized by correction of deficiencies of blood-clotting factors before biopsy and by selection of an instrument . . .