MEDWAY, England — Medway Maritime Hospital in Kent has introduced a pill-sized camera as a painless alternative to traditional colonoscopy for bowel cancer screening, the hospital announced this week. The capsule endoscopy procedure was launched on 28 October.
Patients swallow a capsule that captures two images per second as it passes through the intestine. Images are transmitted to a data recorder worn around the waist for between five and eight hours as the capsule naturally traverses the digestive system. After the procedure, the capsule is flushed away.
The first patient to undergo the procedure was 65-year-old Mark Freeman from Walderslade. Freeman, who had a traditional colonoscopy four years ago, described the new method as straightforward and pain-free.
"Four years ago I underwent a traditional colonoscopy," Freeman said. "Not only did I have to be sedated for it I was also in hospital for six hours. With the camera, the procedure from start to finish took about an hour. Once I'd swallowed the capsule I was also able to go home and carry on with my normal day which was just fantastic."
The capsule endoscopy offers a less invasive option for patients being checked for symptoms of bowel cancer, potentially improving screening uptake by reducing the discomfort and time commitment associated with traditional endoscopic procedures.
