Video capsule endoscopy of the small bowel

Abstract

Purpose of review: It is now over 8 years since small bowel capsule endoscopy (SBCE) was first introduced to the gastrointestinal community. The original capsule (Given Imaging, YoKneam, Israel) - a disposable 26 x 11 mm video capsule containing its own optical dome, light source, batteries, transmitter and antenna - is swallowed with water after a 12 h fast. The capsule is propelled via peristalsis through the gastrointestinal tract and is excreted naturally. We will review all recent work concerning SBCE.

Recent findings: At present there are three other SBCEs in the market. SBCE has become a first-line tool to detect abnormalities in the small bowel, as all other imaging technologies are rather ineffective, or very tedious.Indications for SBCE include obscure gastrointestinal bleeding, suspected small bowel tumor, suspected Crohn's disease, surveillance of inherited polyposis syndromes, drug-induced small bowel injury or any abnormal small bowel imaging and new ones are emerging like small bowel motility. Since most of the articles in the literature relate to the PillCam small bowel capsule the data presented will refer mainly to this capsule endoscopy.

Summary: SBCE has shed new light into our knowledge of the small bowel, paving the way for new modalities to come.