Go Ahead, Eat the Camera — Capsule Endoscopy
Whenever a big Great White Shark is caught and he is thought to have been behind an attack the fish’s stomach is cut open. All kinds of stuff usually comes out of the stomach, including a bunch of whole little fish that are still alive.
Don’t you wonder what those fish would see, if they could somehow broadcast their way through the shark’s digestive system?
That’s kind of the idea behind capsule endoscopy. In capsule endoscopy, the patient ingests a vitamin-size capsule. Inside the capsule, believe it or not, is a tiny camera. As it progresses through the patient’s digestive tract, it takes thousands of pictures along the way.
We offer capsule endoscopy at Ogden Gastro as an effective alternative to some other diagnostic options, such as colonoscopies.
The capsule
The capsule used in these procedures is an amazing piece of technology. It’s only one inch long and less than one-half inch wide, about the size of a vitamin pill. Inside is a camera that takes multiple pictures each second as it makes its way through the gastrointestinal tract. The capsule contains the camera, battery, transmitter, and lights to illuminate things as the images are taken. It transmits the images to a receiver that is taped to your body. The capsule is designed for only one-time use and it is passed in a normal bowel movement. The images taken by the capsule are transferred from the receiver and are then viewed on a computer.
What is a capsule endoscopy used for?
Capsule endoscopies enable the team at Ogden Gastro to see portions of the intestine that can’t be seen with a colonoscopy or upper endoscopy. The capsule endoscopy is helpful when detecting some of these conditions:
- Intestinal bleeding
- Polyps
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Tumors
- Celiac disease
Plus, capsule endoscopy can be used as a follow-up test after x-rays or other imaging tests. And it can check on the progress of treatments for various conditions.
Capsule endoscopy is growing as a diagnostic tool, as technology continues to advance. It’s just another way the team at Ogden Gastro employs state-of-the-art technology to serve our patients.
If you’re having issues with anything involving your digestive system, please call the team at Ogden Gastro, (801) 387-2550.
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