Pill packet
Truth is stranger than fiction, so they say, but in the case of a new controllable endoscopic capsule, science fiction has become reality.
Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, USA have come up with a capsule that can be swallowed just like a pill and, as it’s equipped with a camera, can be used to explore a patient’s digestive tract.
Although similar camera-capsules have been around for several years, this is the first of its kind to be 'steerable', allowing doctors to look at specific areas they have selected. This will be a huge advance as doctors previously had no control over where the capsule ended up, meaning they couldn’t be sure of seeing the part of the digestive system they were interested in. They will also be able to take still photos of specific areas of concern. As a result, assessments of the health of the digestive tract will be made on the spot, facilitating faster diagnosis, and obviating the need for invasive investigations such as surgery.
The researchers now plan to use the same technology to enable the capsule to deliver medications to specific parts of the body and even to perform laser surgery directly on tumours or injuries inside the digestive tract.