Capsule Endoscopy

Capsule endoscopy is a noninvasive procedure using a pill-sized camera to diagnose disorders of the esophagus, small intestine, and digestive tract. The miniature video camera, known as an endocapsule, has a biocompatible coating that allows it to be safely swallowed and pass undigested through the intestinal tract. The camera, the size of a large vitamin, transmits images to a video monitor as the capsule passes through the digestive tract.

Capsule endoscopy allows your gastroenterologist to examine areas previously unreachable without major surgery. Now, doctors can diagnose diseases such as Celiac Sprue and Crohn’s disease, identify gastrointestinal bleeding, and even locate tumors and polyps.

Capsule endoscopy is a safe procedure but carries few risks. The endocapsule could lodge into the digestive tract rather than leave your body in a bowel movement. That risk - while small - increases for people with strictures, or narrowing, in the digestive tract caused by Crohn’s disease, previous surgery in the area, or tumors.

Your doctor may suggest allowing more time for the capsule to pass in a bowel movement. If, however, the capsule causes symptoms that indicate a bowel obstruction, it must be removed by a traditional endoscopy or surgery.

Typically, patients undergoing capsule endoscopy will have a preparation that consists of a brief fasting period and a possible bowel prep to cleanse the small intestine before the procedure.

Capsule endoscopy is an outpatient procedure that begins in your doctor’s office. You’ll swallow the endocapsule and wear a small data recorder around your waist during the test. You will be able to drink clear liquids and eat a light meal about two hours after the pill has been swallowed.

Approximately 8 hours later, you will be asked to return to your doctor’s office so the data recorder can be removed, and the images downloaded to a computer for physician viewing. The capsule will then be eliminated from your body normally in your feces during a bowel movement.

Gastro Health is now offering CapsoCam Plus®, the only small bowel capsule endoscopy system in the world with a 360° panoramic view of the small bowel. Unlike other products, CapsoCam Plus requires no wires, belts or sedation. Patients simply swallow a capsule that takes thousands of images as it travels effortlessly through the digestive system. All of the diagnostic data is stored on-board the capsule. As a result, our patients at Gastro Health receive a convenient exam while their doctor achieves a comprehensive view as the capsule passes through the digestive tract. When the exam is complete, patients can easily collect the capsule using a specially designed CapsoRetrieve® capsule retrieval kit and then return via FedEx in a pre-paid envelope to CapsoVision. It’s that simple.

Benefits to Patients:

• CapsoCam Plus is cleared by the United States Food and Drug Administration and serves as a tool in the detection of abnormalities of the small bowel by offering a full panoramic, direct lateral view of the small bowel mucosa
• High resolution visualization provides the most comprehensive imaging available today
• Detailed imaging by CapsoCam Plus may allow for greater diagnostic yield and its use of a large-capacity, on-board storage system eliminates the need for external receiver equipment
• Cloud-based, HIPAA-compliant capsule endoscopy software provides a patient’s provider with easy access to their secure exam data, improving convenience and satisfaction.