More good medical news.
Jon
PILL-SIZED CAMERA USED TO FIND TUMORS
CHICAGO (Dec. 4) - A pill-sized camera that can be swallowed and can explore
parts of the small intestine that other diagnostic techniques miss, allows
for improved detection of inflammatory bowel disorders, researchers reported
Tuesday.
Researcher Amy Hara of the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, said tests on
52 patients using the camera -- a technique called capsule endoscopy -- did
a far better job of detecting bowel abnormalities than did computed
tomography in conjunction with ingested barium, a standard method known as
CT.
In a report released at the annual scientific assembly of the Radiological
Society of North America, Hara said the camera shows the most promise for
diagnostics if used with CT.
"As the camera tumbles through the intestine, you don't know exactly where
the mass is located. CT by contrast provides a very good global view of the
body and specialized parameters can be employed to localize lesions," she
said.
The report said endoscopy, in which a fiber optic scope explores the
intestines, can reach only the upper and very lower portions of the small
intestine. The camera pill, by contrast, can explore its entire length, up
to 25 feet.
The camera is inside a pill the size of a large vitamin capsule. Developed
in Israel and approved for use in the United States last year, it is
swallowed by the patient after an eight-hour fast and eliminated about eight
hours later. During its trip through the intestines it transmits a
continuous stream of digital images to a small belt worn around the
patient's waist.
The camera pill used in the study was developed by Given Imaging Ltd., of
Yoqneam, Israel.
Inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn's disease, cause a swelling in
the intestines leading to pain, diarrhea and other problems.
12/03/02 07:00 ET
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