By Henry J. Fishman, M.D.
ConsumerAffairs.com
September 23, 2005
Wireless and tubeless endoscopy may soon be a reality, thanks to capsular endoscopy, a procedure in which a doctor goes on a tremendous voyage through the digestive tract.
Basically a patient swallows a small, pill-sized capsule. The capsule contains a camera, light, battery and transmitter.
The capsule passes through the stomach and into the small intestine just the way food does. It snaps two photos per second and transmits them to a receiver the patient wears on their waist.
The images provide an hour-long tour of the digestive tract that doctors have a tough time seeing. The patient experiences no discomfort and the capsule escapes the body in about six to seven hours which is about how long the entire procedure takes.
There is no sedation or hospital stay. Patients like it because it's easy to do. Doctors like it because the procedure gives them a complete view of the digestive tract.
