Pill-sized camera for diagnosis

A pill-sized camera, which can be swallowed and used to explore parts of the small intestine that other diagnostic techniques miss, is improving detection of inflammatory bowel disorders, say researchers.

Amy Hara of the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, said tests on 52 patients using the camera - known as capsule endoscopy - did a better job of detecting bowel abnormalities than did computed tomography with ingested barium, a method known as CT.

In a report released at the annual scientific assembly of the Radiological Society of North America, Hara said the camera showed the most promise for diagnostics if used with CT.

The camera, developed in Israel and approved for use in the United States last year, is inside a pill the size of a large vitamin capsule.

The patient swallows it after an eight-hour fast and eliminates it eight hours later after it has travelled the length of the intestines.

- REUTERS

Herald feature: Health