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Why it's done
By Mayo Clinic staff
Capsule endoscopy helps your doctor see inside your small intestine. Your small intestine, located between your stomach and your colon, can be difficult to reach with conventional endoscopy and imaging tests. Capsule endoscopy can also provide better imaging of the lining of the small intestine than can other tests.
Your doctor may recommend capsule endoscopy to help diagnose or treat:
- Obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. Capsule endoscopy can help find the cause of gastrointestinal bleeding.
- Inflammatory bowel diseases. Capsule endoscopy may reveal areas of inflammation in the small intestine that can help your doctor diagnose Crohn's disease and other inflammatory bowel diseases.
- Cancer. Capsule endoscopy can identify tumors in the small intestine that otherwise might be difficult to detect. Capsule endoscopy sometimes is done in conjunction with CT enterography because CT enterography can indicate tumors within the small bowel wall.
- Celiac disease. Some small studies suggest that capsule endoscopy can detect intestinal changes associated with celiac disease — an immune reaction to eating gluten — and can help detect complications of the condition.
- Polyps. People who have inherited polyposis syndromes that can cause polyps in the small intestine, such as Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, may occasionally have capsule endoscopy to screen for polyps.
References
- Dye C, et al. Introduction to small bowel endoscopy methods. Techniques in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. 2012;14:83.
- Understanding capsule endoscopy. American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. http://www.asge.org/PatientInfoIndex.aspx?id=390. Accessed July 2, 2012.
- Rolniak D, et al. Complications of small bowel endoscopy. Techniques in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. 2012;14:117.
- de Ridder L, et al. Small bowel endoscopy in children. Best Practice & Research Clinical Gastroenterology. 2012;26:337.
- Eliakim R. Video capsule endoscopy of the small bowel. Current Opinion in Gastroenterology. 2010;26:129.
- AskMayoExpert. When is capsule endoscopy indicated in patients with gastrointestinal (GI) tract bleeding? Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2012.
- Feldman M, et al. Sleisenger & Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, Management. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-6189-2..X0001-7--TOP&isbn=978-1-4160-6189-2&about=true&uniqId=229935664-2192. Accessed July 2, 2012.
- AskMayoExpert. What tests are needed to evaluate a patient with gastrointestinal (GI) tract bleeding in whom upper endoscopy and colonoscopy are normal? Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2012.
- Preparing for capsule endoscopy. American Gastroenterological Association. http://www.gastro.org/patient-center/procedures/capsule-endoscopy. Accessed July 2, 2012.
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