The impact of COVID-19 on elective and urgent digestive endoscopic procedures: a report on a year of pandemic in a gastroenterology centre in Italy

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic (COVID-19) affected digestive endoscopic activity worldwide. Resumption and maintenance of elective endoscopic activity are crucial to containing the impact of COVID-19 on mortality and prognosis of gastrointestinal disorders, primarily cancers. AIM: To assess the impact of COVID-19 during and after the lockdown period on endoscopic activity. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The endoscopic activity undertaken during the COVID-19-related lockdown (March 2020–May 2020) and in the post-lockdown period (June 2020–March 2021) was compared with that in the corresponding periods of the year before COVID-19 in a gastroenterology centre in Italy. RESULTS: During the lockdown period, there was a reduction in esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), colonoscopy (CSPY), endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), and endoscopic-retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) of 75.8%, 74.8%, 60%, and 42%, respectively, compared with the corresponding period of the year before COVID-19. During the post-lockdown period to date, EGD, CSPY, EUS, and ERCP increased as compared to the lockdown period (30.6%, 50.6%, 33.6%, and 65.4%, respectively), but only ERCP showed a full recovery when compared with the corresponding period of the year before COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic activity decreased significantly during the COVID-19 lockdown, and only ERCP had a full recovery in the post-lockdown period. The pandemic-related limitations and the backlog of endoscopic procedures represent important reasons for the increased risk or delayed diagnosis of GI cancers.