The government has approved a tiny, wireless, camera-in-a-capsule that patients swallow to give doctors a close-up view of their small intestine. Standard intestinal exams use tubes fitted with tiny cameras that are inserted down the throat, but they often can't reach all the way through the 20-foot small intestine, leaving exploratory surgery as a last resort. With the prescription video pill, a doctor downloads images from a receiver worn on the patient's waistband. The camera itself is excreted eight to 72 hours later -- walking is encouraged to help the pill move through the system. Doctors who use the video pill will need a $20,000 computer workstation, and each capsule costs $450. No word on whether the pictures are suitable for framing.
Gullet Cam
The government has approved a tiny, wireless, camera-in-a-capsule that patients swallow to give doctors a close-up view of their small intestine. Standard intestinal exams use tubes fitted with tiny cameras that are inserted down the throat, but they often can't reach all the way through the 20-foot small intestine, leaving exploratory surgery as a last resort. With the prescription video pill, a doctor downloads images from a receiver worn on the patient's waistband. The camera itself is excreted eight to 72 hours later -- walking is encouraged to help the pill move through the system. Doctors who use the video pill will need a $20,000 computer workstation, and each capsule costs $450. No word on whether the pictures are suitable for framing.
