RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Capsule endoscopy: 10 years on and in the frontline
JF Frontline Gastroenterology
JO Frontline Gastroenterol
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP 82
OP 87
DO 10.1136/fg.2009.000463
VO 1
IS 2
A1 M E McAlindon
A1 D S Sanders
A1 R Sidhu
YR 2010
UL http://fg.bmj.com/content/1/2/82.abstract
AB Capsule endoscopy is a safe, simple, remote method of visualising the gastrointestinal tract without resorting to conventional endoscopic intubation or radiation exposure. In addition, the ability to visualise the small bowel mucosa directly means that it is considerably more sensitive than existing small bowel imaging modalities in detecting subtle abnormalities. It is a firstline investigative modality for suspected small bowel bleeding and is being increasingly used for detecting evidence of other small bowel diseases. In Crohn's disease, it can confirm evidence of activity without recourse to repeated endoscopic intubation or radiation but does not replace MRI and CT which are better suited to defining stricturing disease and transmural complications. The production of different capsule endoscopes to examine the oesophagus, small bowel and colon now means that almost all of the gut can be examined using this technology.