St. John's offers new global positioning-like device to diagnose small intestine disorders

St. John’s Health System will soon offer capsule endoscopy (also referred to as camera-in-a-capsule), a new, noninvasive test for the diagnosis of abnormalities of the small intestine such as Crohn’s disease, malabsorption disorders and tumors. Capsule endoscopy is cutting-edge technology that allows direct visualization of the entire small intestine, which until now has not been possible without surgery. St. John’s will be the first health care provider in the area to offer this service.

Gastroenterologist Donald Nelson, M.D., administers the test at St. John’s Endoscopy Center, located in the Whiteside Medical Building on the St. John’s campus. Nelson compares the capsule endoscopy technology to global positioning devices.
“St. John’s is proud to offer this new technology, which will allow better imaging of the small intestine, permitting more accurate and timely diagnosis of difficult gastrointestinal problems,” Nelson says.
The Food and Drug Administration has recently certified capsule endoscopy as the first-line diagnostic exam to detect abnormalities of the small intestine.

How it Works

1) The capsule endoscopy test takes about eight hours and there is no laxative preparation, X-rays, air inflation or sedation required. Patients are required to fast for 12 hours before the test, however.
2) After being fitted with a receiver belt, the patient swallows the capsule, which contains the camera and is about the size of most vitamin pills. Natural peristalsis moves the capsule smoothly and painlessly throughout the gastrointestinal tract, transmitting two color video images per second to the receivers.
3) After being fitted with the belt and swallowing the capsule, the patient goes about his or her daily routine and returns to St. John’s eight hours later for removal of the belt.
4) The images – about 55,000 of them – are then downloaded from the receiver and reviewed by the physician.