May 22, 2012
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Self-propelling endoscope allowed safe, painless observation of digestive tract
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SAN DIEGO — Researchers viewed an entire human digestive tract through the use of a self-propelling capsule endoscope, and the procedure was reported as safe and painless for the patient, according to data presented at the 2012 Digestive Disease Week Annual Meeting.
The device (Mini Mermaid, Mu Ltd) is 12 millimeters by 45 millimeters and consists of a flexible fin made of silicone with a small magnet at the end of the endoscope. A fluctuating magnetic field propels the device, with speed and direction controlled by adjusting the electric current in the magnetic coils. Naotake Ohtsuka, PhD, and president of Mu, served as the volunteer subject for testing the device. Ohtsuka swallowed the device without sedation after consuming 2,000 mL polyethylene glycol, and he drank 500 mL of water upon the device reaching his stomach. As the capsule endoscope passed through the small intestine, the subject consumed 200 mL water twice, and then 1,000 mL polyethylene glycol when the device had reached his colon. By controlling the device’s movement and changing the subject’s physical position, investigators were able to observe each gastric body for 57 minutes, and the small intestine for 2.5 hours. The capsule endoscope was undamaged in the procedure and Ohtsuka experienced no adverse effects. “Because the Mini Mermaid allows for simple and easy inspection of the digestive tract, it could be utilized as part of a regular physical checkup and help reduce the risk for cancer, ulcers or bleeding,” Ohtsuka said in a news release. “This launches the age for safe, painless examination of the total digestive tract.”
For more information:
Ohtsuka N. #154: Observation of Whole Digestive Tract of a Human by a Single Passage of a Self-Propelling Capsule Endoscope. Presented at: the 2012 Digestive Disease Week Annual Meeting; May 19-22, San Diego.