Colonoscopies can be an uncomfortable procedure for patients who may already be worried about what results will be found. When the results are inconclusive, a patient's options can be limited, causing further distress. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has now approved a device for use after an incomplete procedure that is minimally invasive and can achieve similar imaging results to a colonoscopy. PillCam Colon is a pill-sized camera that is swallowed and passes through a patient's gastrointestinal tract.
Given Imaging's PillCam Colon was created specifically with the purpose of checking for colon cancer and is already commercially available in more than 80 countries. The study on which the FDA based its decision focused on identifying hyperplastic polyps and adenomas at least 6 mm in size. It found a 69 percent positive agreement between PillCam Colon results and a colonoscopy, and an 81 percent negative agreement.
A colonoscopy is the examination of a patient's bowel using a long, thin camera known as an endoscope that is inserted via the rectum. Around 750,000 incomplete colonoscopies occur each year in the US, and are more common in women due to higher incidences of previous pelvic surgery and anatomical challenges for navigation. An incomplete colonoscopy often requires that a patient undergoes an additional procedure, such as an X-ray or CT scan, in order to complete the colorectal examination, incurring extra costs and risks in the process.
The device itself is a pill-sized video camera measuring 12 x 33 mm (0.47 x 1.3 in) that captures color video from both of its ends at 4 or 35 frames per second. An LED provides the necessary illumination for image capture and, once swallowed by the patient, it wirelessly relays footage to a recording device worn by the patient for approximately 10 hours.
"We have made tremendous strides in increasing the number of people who are getting screened for colon cancer, starting at age 50 for the average risk individual," says Eric Hargis, CEO of US patient advocacy and support organization Colon Cancer Alliance. "Colonoscopy is the most comprehensive option, but for up to 10 percent of individuals, achieving a complete colonoscopy may not be possible. For those individuals, PillCam Colon capsule endoscopy could be an effective option to allow their gastroenterologist to complete a colon examination."
The video below shows PillCam's journey through the body.
Source: Given Imaging
So much for having an invasive colon check up....
Thankfully I've never had one, and by the look of technology, by the time I will need a check up (over a decade) non-invasive will be the norm. That's assuming the FDA gets off their asses and actually approves some of the medical breakthroughs that happen on a nearly daily basis.
Also, how exactly am I supposed to retrieve this lovely little rosebud once it has passed through my system? Do I need to put a strainer over my toilet and sort through the muck to get it back to my doctor?
This needs to be smaller and disposable.
All joking about "roadblocks" for the pillcam aside, patients would still undergo the normal pre-treatment where they take medication in combination with a large amount of fluid (typically Gatorade) to empty the bowels thus clearing any traffic from the gastro-intestinal highway.
Today it's approved for use in secondary procedures. In a few years the technology will have improved enough that it will likely become the primary diagnostic tool.
The pill I swallowed was large, and required some additional steps because of a restriction I had in my esophagus, but eventually, it went down.
The M2A had four LED's, and the data was transmitted from the pill to a recorder which I wore in a pouch on my chest.
The primary difficulty with the pill camera comes with interpreting the pictures, because the radiologist who reads the data must try to determine where in the bowel the anomolies are situated.
As for retrieval, one can attempt this and place the pill camera on the mantle over the fireplace, where it will be a wonderful souvenir of the trip. However, as a practical matter, the pill camera is not recovered owing to the fact that it would have to be refurbished with a new battery, and there would be some reluctance on the part of the next guy to swallow an item which was recently obtained so inelegantly. Ralph L. Seifer, Long Beach, California