Pediatric endoscopy: new information from the PEDS-CORI project.

The PEDS-CORI (Pediatric Endoscopy Database System-Clinical Outcomes Research Initiative) was created in December 1999 to develop and maintain a database of pediatric endoscopy procedures and to promote scientific inquiry into the need, efficacy, costs, and outcomes of pediatric endoscopy. The PEDS-CORI database was queried to determine the type, frequency, indication, and findings of all procedures. Of the 27,710 now in the database, 62% were esophagogastroduodenoscopies (EGDs), 24% were colonoscopies, 7.5% were flexible sigmoidoscopies, 1.5% were endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatographies, and 5% were other procedures. The male-to-female ratio was approximately 1:1. Eighty-three percent were outpatients, 12% were inpatients, and 5% were not recorded. Forty percent of patients were aged from 5 to 10 years. EGD is 2.5 times as common as colonoscopy. Most procedures are performed on children aged from 5 to 10 years. PEDS-CORI is a powerful tool that can be used to determine the patterns of use in pediatric endoscopy.