According to Dr. Admar Borges from the Brazilian Society of Digestive Endoscopy, capsule endoscopy is a new tech that’s less invasive than colonoscopy and won’t require any sedation.
Capsule endoscopy was approved in Brazil around 4 years ago and this method is finally growing in popularity and becoming more available in labs and diagnostic centers elsewhere.
What Is Capsule Endoscopy & How Does it Work?
This capsule is an alternative method to colonoscopy where a wired camera is entered into the anal opening and guided through the intestine.
On the other hand, capsule endoscopy is less invasive and doesn’t require sedative meds. The process is actually quite straightforward-the patients who need to get examined just swallow the device the size of a big pill.
A tiny camera is inside this capsule the patient swallows and as it travels through the digestive tract, the camera takes thousands of photos transmitted to a recorder that the patient has to wear on a belt around their waist.
This is an efficient method to see inside the small intestine, an area particularly challenging with the more traditional endoscopies.
Who Can Be Tested Using this Non-Invasive Method?
This type of endoscopy may be recommended in case your doctor wants to find the reason for gastrointestinal bleeding, to diagnose IBSs, cancer, and celiac disease, to check out the esophagus, screen for polyps, and do follow up tests.
The patient swallows the capsule with water and once it’s removed from the system, it’s flushed down in the toilet and the recorder is brought into the office of the doctor.
However, in case of a discovered polyp, the patient may need a colonoscopy to remove it.
According to Mukund Venu, MD and director of clinical operations and of diagnostic testing for Loyola medicine’s gastroenterology division, this video capsule system is the sole alternative screening method that allows direct visualization of the polyps in the colon.
The patients who undergo this new method will still need to do the same bowel-cleansing prep as it’s required for a colonoscopy.
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