Ingestible Miniature Camera Images Small Intestine

Capsule enterscopy allows doctors to visualize a patient's entire small intestine using a disposable, miniature camera in a very small ingestible capsule. Called the Given Imaging Diagnostic System (Yokneam, Israel), the system can image the small intestine without sedation or surgery and has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Commonly called the "camera pill,” the system is able to reach parts of the digestive tract that cannot be reached with conventional endoscopes, aiding the detection of small bowel disorders such as Crohn's disease, ulcerations, and tumors. The disposable video color-imaging camera capsule takes two pictures per second. When ingested, it glides smoothly through the digestive tract and is naturally excreted. A recorder worn on a belt around the waist receives signals transmitted by the capsule through an array of sensors placed on the patient's body. A special workstation processes the data and produces a short video clip of the small intestine, which doctors can review, edit, and archive.

"There are many patients, both young and old, for whom this camera pill will be extremely valuable in diagnosing a variety of bowel disorders,” said Eugene Greenberg, M.D., a gastroenterologist at Carle Foundation Hospital (Urbana, IL, USA), which has been using the system. "Our primary initial use, however, is to discover the source of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding.”




Related Links:
Carle Foundation Hospital
Given Imaging