WearTec

Tiny cameras the size of a multivitamin capsule could soon replace the traditional endoscopy Portfolio Weekly reports.

The PillCam is equipped with not one but two miniature color video cameras as well as a light source. Instead of performing an endoscopy where a fibre optic tube is pushed down the throat the PillCam is simply swallowed and video information is then transmitted using a wireless connection, streaming 14 images per second.

Compared to a traditional endoscopy the PillCam offers significant advantages:

• fasting period before the procedure is reduced from 8 hours to 2
• virtually no recovery time after the procedure because no anesthetics are needed
• no irritation in the throat usually caused by the optic fibre tube

Earlier versions of the PillCam have been used since 2001, originally only streaming 2 pictures per second and the image recording process taking up to 8 hours. Whilst the latest generation of the PillCam features vastly improved performance, with the image quality equalling that of an endoscopy, there are still cases where the traditional endoscopy cannot be replaced, for example when a biopsy sample needs to be taken. Future generations of PillCams could however very well address these shortcomings and fully replace an endoscopy.