AIM: To review the literature on capsule endoscopy (CE) for detecting esophageal varices using conventional esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) as the standard.METHODS: A strict literature search of studies comparing the yield of CE and EGD in patients diagnosed or suspected as having esophageal varices was conducted by both computer search and manual search. Data were extracted to estimate the pooled diagnostic sensitivity and specificity.RESULTS: There were seven studies appropriate for meta-analysis in our study, involving 446 patients.The pooled sensitivity and specificity of CE for detecting esophageal varices were 85.8% and 80.5%,respectively. In subgroup analysis, the pooled sensitivity and specificity were 82.7% and 54.8% in screened patients, and 87.3% and 84.7% in the screened/patients under surveillance, respectively.CONCLUSION: CE appears to have acceptable sensitivity and specificity in detecting esophageal varices. However, data are insufficient to determine the accurate diagnostic value of CE in the screen/surveillance of patients alone.