Random colonic biopsies even from ordinary tissue are currently performed during paediatric colonoscopy. The majority of published material on colonic biopsy studies adults; however, the paediatric population is examined only by limited data. The absence of uniformity for the tissue samples during paediatric colonoscopy strengthens the need to look objectively at this issue. The purpose of this study was to investigate the utility of mucosal biopsies from colonic tissue that are grossly normal. A retrospective study to investigate the usefulness of colonic biopsies in normal looking tissue has been conducted. The subjects included patients who were subjected to colonoscopy for a period of 2 years. For determining endoscopic and histological agreement and for characterising predecessors of agreement, descriptor analysis and logistic regression models were employed. The prediction value of a concord between normal and histopathological colonoscopy was 81%. The predictive value has increased to 85% with the exception of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Normal histology predictors included abdominal pain, while an abnormal histology was predictive of the known diagnosis of IBD.
The results show that, particularly those patients with stomach discomfort complaints, colonic biopsies may not need to be routinely acquired from all juvenile colonoscopies. Patients who have a known diagnosis of IBD, high inflammatory markers, or tiredness should continue to receive biopsies. Additional studies are required to standardise biopsy methods in paediatric colonoscopy.
