Innovations Leading Capsule Endoscopy into the New Frontier: Screening and Therapy at Home

Abstract

This paper proposed patient friendly capsule endoscopy (CE) for not only screening but also treatment. Two different types of CEs with an Internet utility were investigated. The first type used magnetic navigation in the stomach and colon for screening. Magnetic navigation enabled the capsule to explore the whole of the gastrointestinal tract with less risk of missing lesions and complete the screening within the battery life. The system's design was patiently friendly as it allowed the subjects to leave the hospital after the capsule had been navigated in the stomach. The second investigated two different therapeutic robotic endoscopes. Both prototypes were driven by DC motors and controlled remotely via the internet. In addition, they were equipped with therapeutic tools and each prototype's ability with the tools was assessed. The investigation showed it was possible to remotely control both prototypes and operate therapeutic tools via the Internet. The investigation identified areas for improvement, such as size, connection speed, security of data, and the holding the capsule's position during treatment, In conclusion, both methods have the potential to make capsule endoscopy a very patient friendly procedure that can be carried out anywhere.