Pro-motility Preparation Protocol May Reduce the Rates of Failed Patency Capsule Among Patients with Crohn’s Disease in Clinical Remission

Background: Patency capsule (PC) ingestion is commonly used to minimize capsule retention in high-risk patients with Crohn’s disease (CD). However, false-positive rates remain high, precluding the use of video capsule endoscopy (VCE). We aimed to compare the efficacy of two preparation protocols in reducing failed PC rates in patients with CD. Methods: This bi-center retrospective case–control study included adult patients with small-bowel CD in clinical remission who underwent PC ingestion. The pro-motility group followed a low-residue diet, then a clear fluid diet, and took bisacodyl after ingestion, while the control group followed only a clear fluid diet. The primary outcome was failed PC, defined as the absence of PC excretion or presence on abdominal X-ray at 30 h post-ingestion. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify predictors of failed PC. Results: Among 273 patients (83 in the pro-motility group, 190 controls), the pro-motility group was older (median 36 [27–48] vs. 31 [24–43], p = 0.012) and had a lower rate of B2/3 disease phenotype (32.5 vs. 53.1%, p = 0.002) compared to controls. The pro-motility group also had a lower failed PC rate (12.0 vs. 24.7%, p = 0.023). Longer disease duration (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.053, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.016–1.091, p = 0.005) increased the odds of failed PC, while the pro-motility protocol was protective (AOR 0.438, 95% CI 0.200–0.956, p = 0.038), outweighing the influence of B2/3 disease phenotype (AOR 1.743, 95% CI 0.912–3.332, p = 0.093). Conclusions: The pro-motility preparation protocol could substantially improve the success rates of the small-bowel patency test in patients with CD undergoing PC ingestion, potentially reducing the risk of capsule retention and associated complications.