“This technology is not a replacement for traditional methods, but works in conjunction with them to provide a vital complement to patient care,” said Dr. Sherman Chamberlain, a gastroenterologist at MCG Health System.

Dr. Chamberlain performed the health system’s first videocapsule endoscopy several months ago as an adjunct to traditional diagnostic tools such as regular endoscopy or CAT scans. In regular endoscopy, a thin flexible tube with a camera at the tip is inserted into the stomach or into the colon to examine these internal structures for abnormalities; however, regular endoscopy cannot provide images of the small intestine. While CAT scans can provide these internal images, they are not in fine enough detail for diagnostic purposes.

Videocapsule endoscopy involves the use of a tiny camera with a flash that takes continuous images of the 20 feet of the small intestine that aren’t viewable through regular endoscopy. And in contrast to CAT scans, videocapsule endoscopy provides far greater detail, with up to 80 percent accuracy. The technology is also uniquely suited to viewing the small intestine; both the stomach and colon are too large for the capsule to image properly.

A patient undergoing videocapsule endoscopy is fitted with an external receiver that records the images. After the patient swallows the videocapsule, it passes through the small intestine over the course of eight hours, during which the patient can move comfortably about at home or at work. The patient returns the receiver so that the gastroenterologist can download and examine the findings, while the capsule passes through the system naturally.

The new technology can help locate bleeding sources in the small intestine, in particular in anemic patients where a source has been previously undiagnosed. Small bowel cancers, lymphomas, Crohn’s disease, celiac disease and vascular malformations can also be diagnosed.

MCG Health System is composed of three separate organizations -- MCG Health, Inc. and the clinical services offered by the faculty employees of the Medical College of Georgia and the members of the Physicians Practice Group. The physicians of MCG Health System are community physicians, faculty employees of the Medical College of Georgia, and employees of the Physicians Practice Group, not employees of MCG Health Inc. MCG Health, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation operating the MCG Medical Center, MCG Children’s Medical Center, the MCG Sports Medicine Center, MCG Ambulatory Care Center, the Georgia Radiation Therapy Center and related clinical facilities and services. MCG Health, Inc. was formed to support the research and education mission of the Medical College of Georgia and to build the economic growth of the CSRA, the state of Georgia and the Southeast by providing an environment for faculty employees of the Medical College of Georgia and the Physicians Practice Group and community physicians to deliver the highest level of primary and specialty health care. For more information, please visit www.MCGHealth.org.