Capsule endoscopes with built-in cameras for imaging the GI tract are not new anymore, providing the ability to scan areas otherwise difficult to access and potentially replacing traditional upper and lower endoscopies with a less invasive, more dignified approach. Yet, they still require bowel prep cleansing and are limited to the visual spectrum. A new electronic pill from Check-Cap (Isfiya, Israel) has an X-ray source that can provide 3D visualization of GI tract. It’s currently an investigational device, but a study, recently presented at the Digestive Disease Week annual meeting in Chicago, showed safety and feasibility of colon imaging using the pill without bowel cleansing.

It’s 30 mm in length and 11 mm in diameter and delivers a radiation dose similar to a dental X-ray. Moreover, unlike virtual CT colonoscopy, the radiation from the pill doesn’t have to penetrate the rest of the body to get to the colon, and maybe one day eclipsing that modality in GI imaging.

Source:Covidien