Small Bowel Capsule Endoscopy
What Is Small Bowel Capsule Endoscopy?
Your physician may determine that a capsule endoscopy of the small bowel is necessary to further evaluate your condition. Capsule Endoscopy will provide your physician with pictures of your small intestine.
WHAT IS CAPSULE ENDOSCOPY?
The capsule endoscope, utilizes a wireless video camera, small enough to swallow, to perform painless endoscopic imaging of the small intestine. The capsule contains a camera, light source, radio transmitter, and battery. Patients can simply swallow the capsule and the camera takes and transmits about two images per second as it travels the entire length of the gastrointestinal tract. Thousands of video images are transmitted by sensors attached to the patient’s abdomen. These images are stored on a data recorder worn by the patient and later downloaded onto a computer for viewing by the physician.
WHY IS CAPSULE ENDOSCOPY OF THE SMALL BOWEL PERFORMED?
Capsule endoscopy assists in diagnosing gastrointestinal conditions such as bleeding, malabsorption, abdominal pain, tumors, Crohn’s Disease, infectious enteritis, celiac sprue and drug-induced ulceration. Capsule endoscopy can help your physician determine the cause for recurrent or persistent symptoms such as diarrhea, bleeding or anemia. In certain chronic gastrointestinal diseases, this method can also help to evaluate the extent to which your small intestine is involved or monitor the effect of therapy. The physician can also use capsule endoscopy to obtain motility data such as gastric or small bowel passage time.
PREPARING FOR THE PROCEDURE
You will receive preparation instructions from our office before your procedure date. You must follow these instructions in order to obtain maximum results. You should start a clear liquid diet after lunch the day before the procedure and have nothing to eat or drink after midnight. At noon you would take 2 Dulcolax tablets and at 6:00 pm drink one bottle of Magnesium Citrate. You need to inform our office in advance about any medications you take, if you have a pacemaker or other implanted electromedical devices, previous abdominal surgeries, swallowing difficulties or previous history of bowel obstruction.
WHAT CAN I EXPECT DURING CAPSULE ENDOSCOPY?
When the patient arrives, the procedure will be fully explained, a consent form signed and instructions for the day’s activities will be given. The patient will then have the sensor leads attached to the abdomen and a halter belt will be put on which holds the data recorder. The capsule is swallowed with a glass of water and the patient is then free to leave and pursue their regular activity. The patient is then instructed on dietary guidelines for the day and what time to return the same afternoon. Upon completion of the allotted time the patient will return to our office and the halter and the sensors will be removed and the patient is free to go. Results of the capsule endoscopy will be available within seven to ten days.