Helicobacter pylori infection may result in poor gastric cleanliness in magnetically controlled capsule gastroscopy examination: A single-center retrospective study

Abstract

Objective

Magnetically controlled capsule gastroscopy (MCCG) is an effective method for screening gastric diseases; however, its performance may be affected by gastric cleanliness. We aimed to explore the correlation between Helicobacter pylori infection and the degree of gastric cleanliness in the MCCG.

Methods

This retrospective study enrolled 297 participants from October 2020 to April 2024 at Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine. Participant characteristics, MCCG examination results, and (13) C-urea breath test (C13-UBT) results were collected. The gastric cleanliness in MCCG examinations was assessed using a gastric cleanliness score. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze the relationships among participant characteristics, H. pylori infection, and gastric cleanliness. Chi-square tests and Fisher's exact tests were used to analyze the relationships among gastric lesions, H. pylori infection, and gastric cleanliness.

Results

Among the participants, 24.2% had H. pylori infection, and 17.5% had poor gastric cleanliness. Hypertension (odds ratio [OR]: 2.63; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.36–5.09; p = 0.004) was associated with a greater likelihood of H. pylori infection. H. pylori infection (OR: 3.76; 95% CI: 1.99–7.09; p < 0.001) was an independent risk factor for poor gastric cleanliness in the MCCG. A significant disparity was noted in the prevalence of focal erosions (p < 0.001), gastric ulcers (p = 0.001), and positive gastric lesions (p = 0.027) between the 2 groups with and without H. pylori infection. The proportion of positive gastric lesions was not significantly different between the good gastric cleanliness group and the poor gastric cleanliness group (25.7% vs. 21.2%; p = 0.490).

Conclusion

The findings of this study revealed that H. pylori infection was associated with hypertension. H. pylori infection may lead to poor gastric cleanliness. Institutions are advised to perform C13-UBT before MCCG, and participants should be informed of the risk of poor gastric cleanliness if the results are positive. The decision to perform H. pylori eradication before MCCG should take into account patient willingness and the benefit-to-risk ratio.