Pill-Sized Device For Faster And Easier Endoscopy

MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL (HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL), MASSACHUSETTS, USA. Researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston were able to create a tethered, pill-sized endoscope to help doctors see the actual image of a person’s esophagus in a matter of minutes. The best part of it is that there will be no need for anesthesia and it is absolutely pain-free.

A lot of people around the world suffer from occasional heartburn wherein they feel a painful burning sensation in the throat or chest. This is called an acid reflux which happens when stomach acid is goes up into the esophagus due to a reflux. A patient with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is already a candidate for Barrett’s esophagus. Barrett’s esophagus is a condition where the tissue that lines the esophagus accumulates abnormal changes overtime which also increases the risk for esophageal cancer.

Since Barrett’s esophagus does not have any known symptoms, it usually goes undiagnosed. Also, diagnosing it is a very tedious process as it requires the doctor to sedate the patient before a long and flexible camera called an endoscope is inserted down to the patient’s throat. The endoscope allows the doctor to look for abnormal tissue in the patient’s esophagus. A small piece of the tissue is then cut off for laboratory analysis. You can pretty much say that this process is invasive, uncomfortable and expensive.

The study was led by MGH pathologist Gary Tearney. He said that their new device opened up esophagus screening to a lot of people who just didn’t have any reason to have their esophagus inspected. This time, it will be easier and faster to see the actual condition of a person’s esophagus.

This clear plastic pill is attached to a long piano wire connected to a computer console. Since it is penny-sized, it can be easily swallowed with a cup of water. It can also be sent up and down the esophagus easily since it is tethered. That way, it will be able to generate clearer and more detailed view of the patient’s esophagus.

Just like in ultrasounds, the pill produces light beams which help produce images of the esophagus. Researchers can also create a three-dimensional image of the esophagus by stacking cross sections together which is also a similar method when reconstructing CT scans. In the future, the researchers are also aiming to create pills that can diagnose stomach diseases, small intestine diseases and even colon diseases.