A new diagnostic method of the bowel cancer
It is practically impossible to make a diagnosis of a gastrointestinal tumor without a colonoscopy. Colonoscopy is an endoscopic examination of the large bowel with a fiber optic camera on a flexible tube passed through the anus. It is quite an unpleasant procedure for many people.
Recently German scientists have developed the “Colon” device, which is designed to save patients from such unpleasant experience.
It looks like a small pill (capsule) and has a mini camera with a transmitter. The patient swallows it along with a small amount of water. The capsule passes through the gastrointestinal tract, recording images of the intestine surface. A few hours later the capsule is excreted from the body naturally.
But is the new method capable of completely replacing colonoscopy?
"No" - answers Dr. Horst Hon, a gastroenterologist from Koblenz, who conducted practical tests of the apparatus. "Colon device is just an addition to the colonoscopy."
But to identify colorectal cancer and precancerous formations - polyps, the capsule is almost as good as a colonoscopy, says Dr. Hon. The accuracy of the diagnosis is approximately 89%, while in the colonoscopy - about 95%.
The cost of new method
"Firstly, capsular endoscopy is a purely diagnostic method, during which, unlike a colonoscopy, polyps cannot be removed. If you suspect a cancer of the intestine, the patient still needs to undergo a colonoscopy. Secondly, the interpretation of the results rather complicated. "
"The cost of the pill is only 700 euros," says Hon. Consultations and evaluation of the results will be additional 360 euros.
"Despite the fact that colorectal cancer is prevented through screening, many people do not use this opportunity because of fear or shame, even when anesthesia is available," says Hon.
Without risks and side effects
For the patient, an endoscopic capsule is more convenient than a colonoscopy. Also, intestinal wall injuries, bleeding or other unwanted side effects and complications are excluded.
However, as in the case of a colonoscopy, the intestine should be thoroughly cleaned. To do this, the patient drinks special solution, prescribed by the doctor, the day before.
Thousands of images of the inner surface of the intestine
During the study, the camera records up to 400,000 images of the large and small intestine, depending on the speed of the capsule.
The shooting frequency is from 4 to 35 frames per second. Data is transferred to a small recording device, which is fixed on the patient's thigh. Then all obtained pictures are merged into a video, which the doctor then evaluates. Thus, pathology of tissue structures, polyps and tumors are found.
It takes 4 to 6 hours from swallowing of the capsule till the end of the study.