Could immediate second-look endoscopy reduce post-endoscopic submucosal dissection bleeding?

Background and study aim: Gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is a curative treatment for gastric neoplasm. A scheduled second-look endoscopy could be performed to prevent delayed post-ESD bleeding. However, no studies on the efficacy of second-look endoscopy for the prevention of early delayed post-ESD bleeding have been conducted. So, the aim of this study was to be the first to investigate the efficacy of immediate second-look endoscopy for the prevention of post-ESD bleeding. Patients and methods: The 266 gastric ESD cases were included. Immediate second-look endoscopy was defined as repeated upper endoscopy soon after complete hemostasis of the ESD site and specimen fixation. Early and late delayed bleeding were classified as before or after 24 h after the ESD, respectively. Results: The 262 ESD cases were enrolled and divided into three groups: the immediate second-look (n = 79), scheduled second-look (n = 86), and no second-look (n = 97). Post-ESD bleeding occurred in 19 cases (7.3%). Of these, 13 (68.4%) were early delayed post-ESD bleeding. The immediate second-look endoscopy had a lower incidence of early delayed post-ESD bleeding compared to the groups without immediate second-look endoscopy, (3.8% vs. 0.8%, p = 0.009). In a multivariate analysis, immediate second-look endoscopy significantly reduced early delayed post-ESD bleeding (OR 0.39, p = 0.022). The resected specimen area ≥ 1,000 mm² was an independent risk factor for early delayed post-ESD bleeding (OR 8.98, p = 0.010). However, the frequency of delayed post-ESD bleeding did not differ between the three groups. Conclusion: Immediate second-look endoscopy after gastric ESD may prevent early delayed post-ESD bleeding under certain circumstances.