Endoscopy has been used as the least intrusive procedure for viewing internal organs for a long time. There are many different kinds of endoscopies being used throughout the world. However, with the upgradation of the technology and improvement of the techniques, it has become possible to treat the diseases of the colon and the gastrointestinal tract without much intrusion.
It has always been seen that the small intestine is an extremely difficult organ to get to. Both the diagnosis and the treatment of the small intestines is extremely difficult without performing an open surgery. Barium tests can help doctors examine the small intestines, however the barium swallow test, which utilizes radiology as the procedure for testing, is both time consuming and expensive. This procedure is also not accurate in identifying tumors and abnormalities in the small intestines.
For a long time, the need for having an unintrusive procedure for examining the small intestines was not demanded. This is because only a small minority of conditions requires examination of the parts of intestines where the endoscope hasn’t yet reached. It is because of this that for many years the causes of abdominal pains, unexplained anemia, and diarrhea were never uncovered. Fortunately, with the capsule endoscopy procedure, the scope of using unobtrusive methods for diagnosing diseases like the Crohn’s disease is much wider.
Capsule endoscopy is a relatively new technology in which the patient is required to swallow a video capsule. This capsule is then used to take photographs of the insides of the esophagus, small intestines, and the stomach. However, to be able to do this, it is required that the patient’s gastro intestinal tract should be completely empty. The intestines are therefore cleared of food residue and bacteria, by using a laxative or purges. Right before the procedure is done, the patient is required to completely clean out the intestines of any solid matter.
The capsule is rather large because it has video camera chips and a light in it, along with a small radio transmitter. As the patient swallows the capsule and it travels through the intestines, the video chips take quick photographs of the entire length of the tract. The radio transmitter allows the capsule to send these photographs to a small receiver which is attached to the patient’s waist. It may take about 24 hours for the entire procedure to take place. When finally the procedure is over, the photographs are downloaded into a computer and are examined more closely by a physician.