Role and Diagnostic Yield of Upper Endoscopy in Children With Chronic Abdominal Pain

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy: Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (esophagogastroduodenoscopy) is performed as part of standard clinical care to evaluate children with chronic abdominal pain. The procedure allows direct visualization of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum, with biopsy sampling when clinically indicated for histopathological examination. The procedure is not assigned by the study protocol but is analyzed observationally.

Study summary

Chronic abdominal pain is a common problem in children and may be caused by functional or organic gastrointestinal disorders. While many children have no identifiable structural disease, some may have conditions that can be detected by upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. This study aims to evaluate the role and diagnostic outcome of upper gastrointestinal endoscopy in children presenting with chronic abdominal pain at Assiut University Children Hospital.

Children aged 18 years or younger who have had abdominal pain for at least three months and who undergo upper gastrointestinal endoscopy as part of their routine medical care will be included. Clinical symptoms, alarm features, endoscopic findings, and biopsy results will be analyzed to determine how often endoscopy identifies an organic cause of pain. The results of this study may help guide the appropriate use of endoscopy in the evaluation of chronic abdominal pain in children.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Diagnostic Yield of Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy — At the time of upper gastrointestinal endoscopy during the study period (January 2026-December 2026)
  Diagnostic yield is defined as the proportion of children with chronic abdominal pain who have abnormal findings detected by upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and/or histopathological examination of biopsy specimens.

Trial sites (1)

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