• Cristina Carretero, Franck Carbonnel, Marc Ferrante, Torben Knudsen, Nancy Van Lent, Alan J Lobo, Lucian Negreanu, Ana Vojvodic, and Salvatore Oliva.
• Gastroenterology Department, University of Navarra Clinic-IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain.
• Curr Med Res Opin. 2021 Sep 1; 37 (9): 1547-1554.

ObjectiveMonitoring established Crohn's disease (CD) through a "treat-to-target" strategy aims to reduce and prevent long-term bowel damage and disability. Despite the availability of different monitoring techniques, there is a current lack of integrated evidence to guide optimal monitoring in terms of appropriate tools and timing. Pan-intestinal video capsule endoscopy (PCE) enables non-invasive and direct visualization of the entire intestinal tract with proven safety and efficacy. This study aims to generate insights on the value of PCE for monitoring established CD from the physician's perspective.MethodsThe Nominal Group Technique (NGT) was used to create discussion around pre-defined research questions aimed at identifying target patient populations for PCE, benefits of PCE in terms of improving disease management, comparative benefits of PCE over standard of care, research priorities to ratify the use of PCE, and hurdles to PCE utilization. A NGT panel was held in Brussels, Belgium in October 2018 with 9 gastroenterology experts. Data were collected from multiple rankings of statements to the research questions and analyzed descriptively.ResultsConsensus indicated that PCE is differentiated from other diagnostic tools, allowing for non-invasive and direct visualization of the luminal intestinal tract in one single procedure. Participants agreed that PCE is beneficial for mapping and grading established CD in all patients, enabling individual and tailored treatment decision-making. Time required to read PCE results was identified as the main utilization hurdle by participants. Well-designed studies are needed to confirm improved outcomes amongst patients with CD managed through a PCE-guided approach.ConclusionsThis study, using the NGT, generated expert opinion on the value of PCE for monitoring established CD in terms of target patient populations and benefits compared to other diagnostic modalities. Participants perceived PCE to facilitate a "treat-to-target" strategy for CD management. Further research is needed to support this value perception.

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