Capsule Endoscopy- Examination of Small Intestine

Contemporary endoscopic techniques have revamped the prognosis of diseases and have eased the treatments of the upper gastrointestinal tract. This tract comprises duodenum, stomach, and esophagus. The middle tract contains small intestine which qualifies to be the largest organ of the body and it covers around 90% of the intermediate tract's area. The diagnosis of this convoluted intestine for tumors or subtle abnormalities through radiological procedures is a complicated and time-consuming process. Capsule endoscopy was introduced to overcome these loopholes. It is a wireless method of diagnosing abnormalities of the small intestine.

What is Capsule Endoscopy?

Capsule endoscopy is a technique which captures the internal images of the middle gastrointestinal track, i.e., small intestine. It uses a camera embedded pill which needs to be swallowed by the patient. The medicine encapsulates a light bulb, battery, and a radio transmitter as well along with the miniature camera. As the pill skids through the esophagus, stomach and small intestine, it captures whistle-stop pictures. The radio transmitter transfers these images to the receiver which is strapped firmly around the patient's waist. The pill automatically gets discarded during excretion. The captured snapshots obtained by the receiver are then downloaded to the computer and are ready to review. This process takes an approximate time of 9 hours.

Benefits of Capsule Endoscopy

Capsule endoscopy is brilliant as it can detect intestinal bleeding in the most accurate way possible. This method is a package of advantages and minimal or no risks. Let's take a look at its benefits:

·         It is one of the most accurate procedures to examine the small intestine. Traditional endoscopy or colonoscopy failed to reach this middle part of the gastrointestinal tract.

·         It is a painless procedure and is not dependent on sedation methods.

·         The patient can walk freely, and hospital stay is not required.

·         Unlike other diagnosis methods, capsule endoscopy does not use any harmful radiations in its entire episode of examination.

·         This process involves minimal risk. As per studies, the probability of risk is only 0.75% wherein if the capsule stucks a small surgery is required to disengage the capsule.

 What diseases can Capsule Endoscopy diagnose?

·         Gastrointestinal bleeding

·         Chron's disease

·         Cancer

·         Celiac disease

·         Follow up testing after x-rays and other screen tests

·         Examine polyps

Digestive Problems? Consult specialists!

Digestive and LiverDisease Center of San Antonio PLLC is one of the recommended clinics of Gastroenterology in San Antonio. Their specialists are expert in treating conditions like hemorrhoids, hiatal hernia, peptic ulcers, overweight & obesity, colon cancer, adult constipation, and other abnormalities related to liver and digestive system. If you are facing any problems in digestion or want to discuss the abnormalities with a specialist then DLD clinic is the best option for you.