Sunday, November 04, 2007
Endoscopic examination of the small intestine is made difficult by its significant length. Capsule endoscopy has solved this problem. Capsule endoscopy of the small intestine is done by having the patient swallow an ingestible miniature camera. Images are transmitted to a data recorder worn by the patient. The capsule is swallowed in the office and the data recorder is worn for 8 hours, then returned to the office. The information is then transfered to a computer for review by the physician. Indications for small bowel capsule endoscopy include obscure GI bleeding, suspected Crohn's diseae, suspected small bowel tumors and suspected malabsorptive syndromes.