PillCam™ SB Capsule Endoscopy

PillCam™ SB (small bowel) capsule endoscopy is an outpatient procedure that allows your gastroenterologist to visualize the small intestine. This procedure is the standard of care for evaluating the small bowel.

PillCam can aid in the early detection of disorders of the small intestine such as gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, Crohn's disease, iron deficiency anemia, small bowel tumors, small bowel injury due to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory use, and malabsorption disorders such as celiac disease.

The PillCam SB system is an ingestible capsule the size of a vitamin. It contains a tiny camera and light source that takes pictures of your small intestine as it travels naturally through your digestive tract. It takes 2 to 6 images per second, generating anywhere from 57,600 to 172,800 pictures in an eight-hour period. The images are then transmitted to a recorder that you wear on a strap across your body. Sensors placed on your stomach or in a sensor belt help transmit these images.

The PillCam SB can be used in children as young as 2 years old, making it an ideal tool for detecting GI disorders in both children and adults. After your doctor makes a diagnosis, he or she may use PillCam SB to monitor your disease over time and make changes to your treatment plan.

Patients with pacemakers, cardiac defibrillators, swallowing disorders, or diagnosed gastrointestinal obstructions or strictures are not candidates for this procedure.

How to Prepare for PillCam

The day before the test, you will be on a clear liquid diet the entire day. You will need to start the bowel prep at 3 pm. You should not eat or drink anything from 9 pm the night before the test until the appointment time. Your doctor will let you know if or when you should adjust or stop any medications you take. PillCam does not require sedation or general anesthesia, so you do not need a driver to accompany you.

What to Expect

The morning of the PillCam, a nurse will fit you with a sensor belt and data recorder to be worn for the eight hours of the test. This typically takes about 30 minutes. The sensor belt is worn around your abdomen while the recorder is worn close to your waist.

Once you swallow the PillCam™ SB capsule, you can leave the endoscopy center and go about your normal activities. Most people do not feel any pain or discomfort when swallowing the PillCam or while it passes through you. You will be able to eat and drink four hours after ingesting the capsule, unless your doctor instructs you otherwise.

After eight hours, you will return to the center to return the recorder and have the sensors removed. The images will be downloaded to a computer to be viewed and interpreted by the gastroenterologist. PillCam exits the body through a normal bowel movement within a day or two.