BMI BATH CLINIC OFFERS PAIN FREE BOWEL INVESTIGATION IN A PILL
Camera You Can Swallow Takes Pictures as it Travels Through Your Body
BMI Bath Clinic has introduced a new high-tech gastro-intestinal endoscopy procedure to sit alongside its current traditional procedures. Capsule endoscopy, in which a patient swallows a tiny wireless camera, enables consultants to fully investigate and examine the small intestine for known or suspected gastrointestinal disorders without the need for sedation or an overnight stay.
The capsule, which contains a tiny wireless camera, light-emitting diodes batteries and a radio-transmitter, is the size of a 20mm vitamin tablet and passes through a patient’s digestive tract in 8 hours. Whilst travelling through the digestive system the capsule takes two photos every second for eight hours. Images are transmitted to a data recorder worn around the patient's waist and a consultant is able to assess these images to determine the cause of recurrent symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhoea, bleeding or anaemia. “This diagnostic facility is particularly beneficial to patients who display obscure bleeding that persists or recurs, as well as for detection of Crohn’s and Coeliac disease” Commented Dr Peter Marden, Consultant Gastroenterologist at BMI Bath Clinic. “It is a revolutionary pain-free device which enables us to see far more of the small intestine than ever before and has an increasing role in investigation of the colon and oesophagus.”
Capsule endoscopy is a simple and less invasive procedure than traditional endoscopy, which involves the use of a flexible fibre-optic tube attached to a light source and camera that is inserted into the body. Capsule endoscopy patients are not required to undergo sedation or to stay overnight.
"The capsule endoscopy is an exciting and important advance in medicine," said Richard Foulkes, Executive Director at BMI Bath Clinic. "We are very pleased to be able to offer this option to patients as part of our comprehensive gastroenterology service.”
For more information on capsule endoscopy please call 01225 838825 or visit: www.bmihealthcare.co.uk/bath
