Video capsule endoscopy

Video capsule endoscopy uses a vitamin-sized capsule containing a tiny camera that you swallow with water. As it travels naturally through the digestive tract, it takes thousands of images of the small intestine and sends them to a recorder worn on a belt. The images are then reviewed as a video.

The small intestine sits beyond the reach of a standard upper endoscopy or colonoscopy, so a capsule is often the clearest way to see it. Dr. Gomez may recommend it to look into anemia or bleeding when the upper and lower exams did not explain the finding, or to evaluate inflammation of the small bowel. It is a way of seeing a part of the gut that is otherwise difficult to examine.

You swallow the capsule in the office and then go about a quiet day while the recorder collects images; the office tells you when you may eat and drink again. No sedation is involved. The capsule passes on its own in a bowel movement and does not need to be retrieved. You return the recorder so the images can be reviewed, and Dr. Gomez goes over the findings with you.