Endoscopic Pill That Allows Doctors to Take Pictures Inside the Body

A controllable endoscopic capsule that patients can swallow like a pill and let doctors explore inside of their bodies has been developed by researchers.

Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have successfully tested a prototype of the capsule that has the ability to "swim" through the body and could provide clinicians with unprecedented control when photographing the inside of the human body.

Small Intestine Biopsy-Purpose-Precaution-After Biopsy-Risks-FAQ
Encyclopedia section of medindia gives general information about small intestine

The capsule can be equipped with a camera.

Once inside the patient's digestive track, a doctor can "steer" the capsule through the body using an MRI machine, photograph specific areas of interest, and view those pictures wirelessly.

"Our goal is to develop this capsule so that it could be used to deliver images in real time, and allow clinicians to make a diagnosis during a single procedure with little discomfort or risk to the patient," said Noby Hata, a researcher in the Department of Radiology at BWH and leader of the development team for the endoscopic capsule.

Uterine Prolapse / Prolapse of Uterus - Causes-Symptoms-Treatment
Uterine Prolapse or prolapse of the uterus is a condition when a woman’s uterus (womb) sags or slips out of its normal position. Uterine prolapse is easier to prevent than cure after its occurrence.

"Ideally, in the future we would be able to utilize this technology deliver drugs or other treatments, such as laser surgery, directly to tumors or injuries within the digestive track," Hata added.

BWH researchers Hata and his colleague, Peter Jakab, tested the capsule in an MRI machine and proved that it can be manipulated to "swim" through a tank of water.

Appendicitis - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, Complications and Prevention
Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix with intense, migrating abdominal pain caused by obstruction due to tumors, feces, or infection.

The next step in their research is to successfully test the capsule inside a human body.

Source-ANI