18-12-2017, 09:38 AM
After years of investment and development, the wireless devices contained in swallowable capsules are reaching the market. The Israeli company Given Imaging and researchers at the University of Buffalo in New York have developed ingestible capsules that record data from inside their bodies. These pills contain tiny sensors or cameras that collect information as they travel through the gastrointestinal tract before being excreted from the body a day or two later.
These new electronic inventions transmit information such as acidity, pressure and temperature levels or images of the esophagus and intestine to your doctor's computer for analysis. Doctors often use invasive methods such as catheters, endoscopic instruments or radioisotopes to collect information about the digestive tract. So device companies have been developing easier and less intrusive ways to gather information.
Digestive diseases and disorders may include symptoms such as acid reflux, bloating, heartburn, abdominal pain, constipation, difficulty swallowing or loss of appetite. "One of the main challenges is to determine what is happening in the stomach and intestines." says Dr. Anish A. Sheth, Director of the Gastrointestinal Motility Program at Yale-New Haven Hospital.
Doctors can inspect the colon and look inside the stomach using endoscopic instruments. But some areas can not be easily seen, and discovering how muscles work can be difficult. Electronic pills are used to measure muscle contraction, ease of passage and other factors to reveal information that was not available in the past.