Magnetically Controlled Capsule Endoscopy

Magnetically controlled capsule endoscopy examines the stomach with a swallowed camera instead of a tube. The patient swallows a capsule about the size of a large vitamin tablet, and an external magnet, mounted on a robotic arm or a C-shaped frame above the couch, moves it deliberately around the stomach while it transmits images to a recorder worn on the body. Because the operator can steer the capsule rather than simply watch it travel, the whole stomach lining can be inspected systematically. No sedation is needed, nothing is passed through the throat, and the capsule continues through the small bowel afterwards and is passed naturally. It is a diagnostic examination only: nothing can be biopsied or treated through it.