Capsule endoscopy is a procedure designed to help your physician see what is happening inside parts of your gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The GI tract is the tube which extends from the mouth to the anus in which the movement of muscles digests food. During the procedure, a patient swallows a vitamin-sized pill with a camera inside. Transported smoothly and painlessly through the gastrointestinal tract by the body’s own natural peristalsis, the PillCam® capsule transmits images of different parts of your body such as the small intestine and the esophagus. After being cleared for marketing by the FDA in 2001, more than 500,000 patients are benefiting from PillCam® capsule endoscopy.
After fasting the night before the procedure, the PillCam® capsule endoscopy process starts with a visit to your doctor’s office where you will be given a glass of water to help swallow the vitamin-sized pill. As it travels through your body, the camera-in-a-pill transmits images to a small recording device worn around your waist. After swallowing the PillCam® capsule, you can go about your daily routine and return to the doctor’s office eight hours later to return the device. Your doctor can then review the images taken by the capsule to determine the cause of your symptoms. The pill passes naturally with a bowel movement usually within 24 hours.
PillCam SB
The PillCam® SB capsule is designed specifically to help your doctor see inside your small bowel (small intestine) to diagnose diseases like Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, benign and cancerous tumors, ulcerative colitis as well as others disorders. The small intestine is the part of the gastrointestinal tract that connects the stomach to the large intestine and absorbs nutrients.
Capsule endoscopy is the least invasive and most direct way for doctor’s to see the entire small intestine. After being cleared by the FDA in 2001, hundreds of clinical studies conducted by the world’s leading gastroenterologists have shown the value of PillCam® SB in helping doctors diagnose or rule out diseases in the small intestine.