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Wireless Capsule

Today, your Brooklyn doctor can use more-effective and less-invasive technology to learn what is happening within your digestive system. One of the most advanced procedures available is a capsule endoscopy. As the name sounds, this procedure is performed using a capsule that contains a small camera that can wirelessly record images during the procedure. In many cases, this vitamin-sized camera can provide in-depth information as to how your digestive system is working.

If your Brooklyn gastroenterologist or other doctor determines a wireless capsule endoscopy is necessary, the procedure generally occurs in a doctor’s outpatient facility or in a hospital setting. The capsule contains a small camera. You’ll swallow the capsule as you would a pill. The camera then travels into your digestive system. As it does, it records thousands of photos of your digestive tract.

A traditional endoscopy can be successfully used to see the upper digestive system, but it cannot get deep into the small colon. As a result, the capsule procedure becomes necessary when your doctor wants to see the condition of the interior of your small intestine. This type of procedure is FDA approved for screenings for polyps, which can potentially be cancerous. However, this procedure isn’t necessarily a common one. That is, other alternatives exist that can be more effective because they can remove the polyps discovered during the procedure.

Nevertheless, wireless capsule endoscopy is still highly effective in evaluating the overall condition of the small intestine. It also works well to evaluate the muscular tube that connects your mouth and stomach called the esophagus.

When you visit your endoscopy doctor at one of our offices either on Ocean Parkway or in Cobble Hill in Brooklyn, New York, for the procedure, you’ll have a series of wires attached to your abdomen. These contain antennas that will allow for recording images from the device. The recorder itself is worn on a belt fitted to your waist. The recorder will collect all of the images. You’ll then swallow the capsule with water. You won’t feel it after that point. You can go about your normal activities for the rest of the day. You may be told to avoid strenuous activity.

The procedure is complete after eight hours or when the capsule emerges in a bowel movement. You can then remove the patches and continue on your day. Your Brooklyn doctor will then collect the camera and device to start collecting data from the images stored on it. Everyone’s digestive system is different, so it may take a few days for you to see the capsule.

It can take a few days to a week for the images and data from the recorder to be analyzed by your doctor. Your doctor will then talk to you about potential outcomes such as gastrointestinal bleeding, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, celiac disease or polyps. A treatment plan is then designed to achieve any goals.

Call Atlantic Gastroenterology

New patients: 718 521-2840 Existing patients: 718 615-4001 EndoSlim Clinic: 1-877-SIZEOFF (1-877-749-3633)