Capsule Endoscopy

Capsule Endoscopy - Dubai Gastroenterology Clinic

The small intestine is a hollow organ that connects the stomach to the colon and it is more than three meters long. A small bowel capsule endoscopy, also known as small bowel capsule or capsule enteroscopy, is a procedure used to view the small intestine that is hard to reach using conventional endoscopic procedures. During a capsule endoscopy, a wireless camera is used to take thousands of pictures of your gastrointestinal tract and transmit them to a recorder that is put to your waist. This capsule endoscopy camera sits inside an antibiotic-size capsule that you can swallow smoothly. Capsule endoscopy usually examines the upper (esophagus, stomach, duodenum), middle (small intestine), and lower gastrointestinal tract (colon) within 7-9 hours.

Why do we do it?

Capsule endoscopy is a minimally invasive procedure that is used to diagnose:

• Crohn’s Disease
• Gastrointestinal Bleeding
• Small bowel diseases
• Ulcerative Colitis
• Tumors
• Polyps,  and also diagnosing motility disorders to some extent.

When to order capsule endoscopy?

Capsule endoscopy may benefit patients suffering from symptoms, including:

• Chronic Abdominal pain
• Unexplained Weight Loss
• Anemia
• Normal upper and lower endoscopies (Gastroscopy / Colonoscopy)

The Process:

Before the procedure, you'll have to eliminate your intake of food for at least 12 hours. Also, a bowel cleaning preparation will be necessary the night before the exam and also early in the morning to make sure to clear the digestive tract (according to the preparation instruction paper). You'll swallow the capsule that will move normally through the digestive tract taking and recording thousands of pictures that the doctor shall examine later, while your normal daily activities are maintained.

In the exam room, a belt will be placed on your waist, then, you'll swallow the video capsule, which is approximately the size of a large pill, then, you'll be free to leave until the next day, and you will not feel the capsule as it moves through your digestive tract.

During that period of time, the doctor shall give you some instructions to follow:

• You'll have to avoid going into any powerful electromagnetic source (such as MRI scans, or Ham radios) because it may interfere with the procedure, however, it's safe to use computers and cell phones.
• You'll have to wait for two hours after swallowing the capsule before you eat or drink anything.
• After two hours pass on the procedure, you can drink clear water.
• Then, after four hours of the procedure, you can eat a light snack.
• You must not attempt to adjust the recorder by yourself.
• Sometimes, the capsule can pass faster than usual. So, you'll have to check on your bowel movements during that period. 
• In case there are any abnormal symptoms that occur, such as nausea, vomiting, or abdominal pain, then you'll have to go back to your doctor.
• The morning after the procedure, you should return to your doctor so he can remove the recorder. After that, he will download these records and review them, giving you the results within two to three days.
• The capsule will pass on its own through the rest of your digestive tract within five to seven days and can be safely flushed.

Risks:

Dubai Gastroenterology Clinic - Dr. Rami Hamed Center now provides the leading gastroenterologist in Dubai for Gastric Balloon, Stretta Treatment, Colon Cancer Screening, Polypectomy, and so on.