Capsule Endoscopy

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capsule endoscopy

What is capsule endoscopy?

Capsule endoscopy is a noninvasive diagnostic procedure to visualize the inside of your digestive tract. You swallow a capsule that contains a tiny camera, a transmitter and a light. As it passes through your stomach, intestines, colon and rectum, the capsule takes thousands of pictures and transmits them to a recorder that you wear outside of your body.

Your doctor uploads the data from the recorder using a system that combines pictures into a video. These visualizations help identify problems in the digestive tract and formulate a diagnosis.

What conditions can be diagnosed using capsule endoscopy?

Capsule endoscopy can detect signs of digestive system problems and help diagnose a variety of conditions. Your doctor may recommend capsule endoscopy if he or she suspects you have:

• Crohn’s disease and other forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
• Gastrointestinal bleeding 
• Celiac disease 
• Ulcerative colitis 
• Colon polyps or colon and rectal cancer

Capsule endoscopy may help your doctor: 

• Confirm suspected Crohn’s disease
• Monitor celiac disease
• Explore the causes of unexplained weight loss or anemia 

Capsule endoscopy can also help doctors visualize the colon interior in people who cannot tolerate sedation or other aspects of a colonoscopy.