Who Needs a Capsule Endoscopy?

When your digestive system processes the food and drink you ingest, it works through many steps to break it down, absorb nutrients, and remove the waste once it’s finished. The whole process can take 50 hours on average, with most of the time spent moving through the lower intestine in around 40 hours!

Several different illnesses can affect how well this system works, and in some cases, getting a better look inside the body is necessary to diagnose what’s ailing you. Capsule endoscopy is a tool that determines if you should consider getting one. Let’s look at how it works and what it can diagnose.

Austin, Texas, area residents looking for ways to diagnose digestive illnesses can get help from Dr. Rajesh Mehta and his staff at LoneStar Gastroenterology.

Capsule endoscopy basics

This form of medical imaging uses a device shaped like a capsule that you swallow and takes pictures of what’s going on through your digestive system. This tablet-sized imaging tool has one or several cameras, a transmitter to relay the images it takes, and a light for the darkness. 

As it moves through your body, it takes about 10,000 pictures (around two pictures every second) of what’s going on and leaves your body along with your feces through your anus. 

To perform the screening, you swallow it with water and receive a recording device that works with the capsule to gather the images. It takes a day to get through your system and a few days before it leaves your body.

Conditions it helps to confirm

This form of endoscopy can diagnose several conditions, including:

Intestinal bleeding

Checking for evidence of bleeding in the small intestine is the most common reason people get this procedure done. Additionally, if testing in the small or large intestine for the bleeding source isn't possible through upper endoscopy or colonoscopy, this is a way to get results.

Inflammatory bowel disease

This disease is the broad term for several conditions, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, and this device can locate inflamed tissue to confirm a diagnosis of either.

Celiac disease

This disease is an autoimmune disorder where your body reacts adversely to the protein gluten in bread, pasta, and baked goods. We confirm this illness test by having you ingest gluten products, and the capsule shows us the results.

Polyps

These growths are usually found in the small intestine but can be in either intestine. They’re often harmless, but some can become cancerous.

Esophageal issues

If your esophagus (also called your food tube) has enlarged veins called varices, it can happen due to parasitic infection, liver disease, or thrombosis (blood clots that form in veins).

If you’re struggling with these issues, a capsule endoscopy may be the way to confirm the illness so we can treat you. If you’re ready to see what this process can do for your digestive problems, make an appointment with Dr. Mehta and his team at LoneStar Gastroenterology today.