Toward tetherless insufflation of the GI Tract

Abstract

Toward increasing the diagnostic ability of wireless capsule endoscopy, we propose a method to wirelessly insufflate the Gastrointestinal Tract. By increasing the viewable surface area, it appears likely that capsule-based insufflation may reduce the number of false negative diagnoses made by endoscopic capsules. Our approach to wireless insufflation is to utilize controlled phase transition of a small volume of fluid stored onboard the capsule to a large volume of gas that is then emitted into the intestine. We begin by describing experiments designed to evaluate the amount of gas a capsule must produce to have a beneficial impact on visualization in the colon. We then describe experiments evaluating how much gas can be generated from a given volume of fluid, using Hydrogen Peroxide as our working fluid. We also evaluate thermal effects of the Hydrogen Peroxide reaction. The cumulative result of these experiments is an illustration of the feasibility of carrying a sufficient volume of fluid onboard a wireless capsule to generate a beneficial enhancement in visualization of the interior of the Gastrointestinal Tract, and specifically the colon.