Miniaturized camera fits into a capsule for an intestinal journey

Science’s ability continually to miniaturize existing technology never ceases to amaze, and hospitals across the country are adding another gadget to their growing arsenal of medical marvels.

One such gadget is a tiny camera incorporated within a capsule that can be swallowed and, once on its way, is capable of transmitting thousands of images for analysis.

The pictures that PillCam takes are amazingly clear and detailed as the device travels down through the esophagus and into the stomach, where it is then passed on to its intended destination, the small intestine.

It’s akin to an unmanned probe that, in this case, is investigating the complexities of inner space. It occasionally tumbles end over end, all the while snapping away image after image to reveal a realm that previously went unseen. The view is not unlike the panoramic, fish-eye effect provided by an extreme wide-angle lens.

Dr. James Mann, a gastroenterologist in Florence, S.C., said that PillCam has already proved its worth as a useful tool for determining the existence of conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, particularly Crohn’s disease, which affects about 500,000 people in the United States. “This allows us to detect Crohn’s disease in the small intestine and then evaluate the extent of the disease,” Mann said.

PillCam also lets doctors detect and isolate exactly where a portion of the small intestine might be bleeding. That’s been difficult because of the limited extent that an endoscope could probe into the small intestine.

“It’s impossible to evaluate the entire small intestine with an endoscope,” Mann said. “This allows us to look at the largest part of the GI tract, which has been off limits to us in the not-too-distant past.”

The entire process takes about eight hours for the device to pass through the entire GI tract, which also is about the duration its onboard battery is designed to last.

Each PillCam is designed for just one use.

Other applications include the survey of small bowel tumors, which are generally rare, Mann said. The apparatus gives him and other doctors the ability to peer directly into a world that is otherwise off limits to the human eye.

“Essentially, this affords us a tool to look at that ‘black box’ that is the small intestine,” he said.

Jim Newman is a staff writer for the Morning News in Florence, S.C.
Source :http://www.journalnow.com