A new device that is the size of a pill has been made by doctors that are able to take microscopic detailed images of inside the stomach. Doctors hope the new technology from the U.S. will become an easier method of screening people for the condition known as Barrett’s esophagus, which can eventually lead to the development of cancer.
Unlike imaging techniques currently available, the new device can be used with the patient conscious and takes just a few short minutes. The new camera has been tested thus far in only a few patients, according to a recent report.
Although doctors and researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have said the device has the potential for wide applications, it might be particularly useful for Barrett’s, where many people are not aware they have the condition and there is not any simple way of screening for it.
The patient can be screened through the use of an endoscope, a tube that contains a video camera, but it is unpleasant and normally is done while the patient is heavily sedated.
The new pill-sized device is contained inside a capsule the size of a multivitamin that is connected by a very thin wire. Inside is a rotating laser that emits an infrared light reflecting back the esophagus lining. Images give doctors a 3D landscape of the esophagus with much more detail than from an endoscope. The procedure is done in just minutes and the device is then pulled back out via the wire.
