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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 traditional endoscopy procedures. It can also be difficult to see on X-rays and other imaging tests.
Situations in which your doctor might recommend a capsule endoscopy procedure include:
- Gastrointestinal bleeding. Capsule endoscopy may help your doctor find the cause of gastrointestinal bleeding if other tests and procedures haven't been conclusive.
- Crohn's disease. Capsule endoscopy may reveal areas of inflammation in the small intestine that can help your doctor diagnose inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn's disease.
- Cancer. Capsule endoscopy may show tumors in the small intestine or other parts of the digestive tract.
- Celiac disease. Capsule endoscopy is sometimes used in diagnosing and monitoring celiac disease.
- Polyps. People who have inherited syndromes that can cause polyps in the small intestine may occasionally undergo capsule endoscopy to screen for polyps.
- Follow-up testing after X-rays or other imaging tests. If results of an X-ray or other imaging test were unusual or unclear, your doctor may recommend a capsule endoscopy as a follow-up test.
