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Capsule Endoscopy |
Lights! Camera! Swallow!Capsule endoscopy is a procedure we can utilize to detect unexplained bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract and other gastrointestinal problems. The procedure is noninvasive and painless. This procedure was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2001. Digestive Disease Consultants uses the capsule primarily to evaluate the small intestine, although it can be used to see other portions of the GI tract. This is a bigger task than most people realize since the average adult digestive tract is approximately 30 feet in length. The top 4 feet (Upper GI, or UGI TRACT) includes the esophagus (foodpipe) and stomach and first portion of the small intestine, called the duodenum. The bottom 6 feet makes up the COLON and rectum. In between, lays the rest of the 20 feet of SMALL INTESTINE where the process of digestion actually occurs. |
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How big is the capsule I have to swallow? Approximately the size of a large vitamin, the capsule includes a miniature color video camera, a light, a battery and transmitter. Images captured by the video camera are transmitted to a number of sensors attached to the patient's body and recorded digitally on a recording device that is worn around the patient's waist. The patient swallows the capsule with a drink of water. After about eight hours (the time it takes for the capsule to move through the small intestine) the recorder is removed from the patient and the information it contains downloaded onto a computer for examination. Scope Tests Capsule endoscopy is not a substitute for regular endoscopy, a procedure in which long flexible black tubes with lights are inserted through the mouth and into the digestive tract. Rather it serves as an additional diagnostic tool for patients who have been suffering from unexplained GI disorders, such as bleeding. It can also be used to evaluate conditions of the small bowel that cause diarrhea, pain or weigh loss, such as Crohn's disease. What happens to the capsule after the test is over? Patients are not required to retrieve and return the video capsule to the physician. It is disposable and expelled normally and effortlessly with one of your bowel movements. After ingesting the capsule and until it is excreted, you should not have an MRI examination nor be near a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) or a radiologic imaging device
For further information regarding the pill cam, please visit the Given Imaging website – |
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Digestive Disease Consultants |
