The value of endoscopic suction aspiration of duodenal juice in the diagnosis of small
bowel bacterial colonisation has been investigated. Samples obtained in this way were
bacteriologically dissimilar from conventional jejunal aspirate from the same patient,
due to both contamination of the sample and death of organisms during sampling. Endoscopic
suction aspiration is not a suitable technique for sampling intestinal contents for
bacteriological analysis.
Endoscopy - Small bowel aspirate - Bacteriology