Capsule Endoscopy

With capsule endoscopy, the patient swallows a small capsule, which passes painlessly through the digestive tract. On its way, the capsule takes approximately 50,000 color images transmitted to a small recording device the patient wears on a belt. After approximately eight hours, the patient returns the data recorder to the nurse, who downloads the images to a computer where they are viewed by a gastroenterologist.

This technology enables doctors to discover many conditions such as Crohn's disease, polyps, cancer and causes of bleeding that may have previously escaped detection.