How does it work?
The procedure is simple. The patient swallows the capsule. A wireless recorder equipped with sensor arrays worn on a belt around the waist receives signals transmitted by the capsule. The camera moves naturally through the digestive tract while patients go about their normal activities. About eight hours after ingesting the camera, patients return the recording device to their doctor so the images can be downloaded to a computer and evaluated. The camera is naturally excreted and not retrieved.
Compare this to the standard endoscopy. The patient is sedated. A physician inserts a thin, flexible, six to seven feet long camera-tipped tube (an endoscope) into the patient's mouth and pushes it through the esophagus and stomach into the small intestine. Steering the endoscope around hairpin turns in the small intestine is difficult, and it is uncomfortable for the patient.

Pill endoscopy, in contrast, provides a quick, convenient and amazingly accurate way to spot trouble areas. PillCam™ Capsule Endoscopy has already been utilized to diagnose diseases of the small intestine including Crohn's Disease, Celiac disease and other malabsorption disorders, benign and malignant tumors of the small intestine, vascular disorders and medication related small bowel injury.
To date over 300,000 patients worldwide have experienced the advantages of painless and effective PillCam™ Capsule Endoscopy.

Go to Given Imaging website to locate the physicians who perform capsule endoscopies in your area