Australian Government - Department of Health and Ageing

Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC)

Application 1102

Double Balloon Enteroscopy

Application No.

1102
Application NameDouble Balloon Enteroscopy
Advisory PanelsA/Professor Donald Perry-Keene
(Chair and MSAC member)
Dr Stephen Blamey
(MSAC member)
Dr David Gillespie
(MSAC member)
A/Professor Graham Newstead
(Royal Australian College of Surgeons nominee)
Dr Mark Appleyard
(Gastronenterological Society of Australia nominee)
Mr Barry Cahill
(Consumers' Health Forum of Australia nominee)
Date Received by MSAC Secretariat6 September 2005
Stage 1 - EligibilityEligible
Stage 2 - AssessmentCompleted
Stage 3 - Formulation of Advice to the MinisterThis assessment was considered by the MSAC at the 15 November 2006 meeting

Double Balloon Enteroscopy (DBE) is a safe, minimally invasive technique for examining endoscopically the whole of the small intestine, allowing biopsy and certain therapeutic procedures at the same time. The most appropriate comparator is intraoperative enteroscopy.

While there is no direct comparative data, it is likely to be safer to perform than the alternative, intraoperative enteroscopy.

DBE is effective in allowing enteroscopic assessment and some treatment of the entire small intestine. Although more costly to Medicare than intraoperative enteroscopy, DBE is potentially cost saving for the entire health funding system.

MSAC recommends public funding for DBE for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding.
Stage 4 - DecisionEndorsed by the Minister for Health and Ageing on 5 February 2007
Stage 5 - ImplementationImplemented
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Page currency, Latest update: 29 May, 2009