Wireless Capsule Endoscopy for Evaluation of Obscure GI Bleeding

Georgetown GI is one of only a few centers in the nation studying wireless “capsule” endoscopy to help identify the cause of unexplained bleeding in the small intestine. Using this new technology, the patient Endoscopy Procedure – Link to Video swallows swallows a vitamin-sized capsule that contains a camera, a light, batteries and a transmitter. The capsule passes through the small intestine via the same contractions that carry food, snapping two photos per second and transmitting them to a cellular-phone-sized receiver the patient wears around the waist.

This new technology allows physicians to see 15 to 20 feet of the small intestine that cannot be visualized using the traditional endoscopic approach. The study, which will involve 80 patients, will help to determine whether or not capsule endoscopy improves physicians’ ability to diagnose the causes of intestinal bleeding, including tumors and abnormal blood vessels.