Endoscope, Wireless, Pill
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Given Imaging Ltd, Yokneam, Israel, has designed and developed a pill-size camera that may reduce the discomfort of gastrointestinal tract examination, while reaching areas that an endoscope cannot.
The Endoscope Pill capsule does not provide all the flexibility of a traditional endoscope. The Pill Endoscope cannot be directed or stopped. It is designed to maintain the same orientation as it moves through the intestine.
The patient swallows a capsule the size of a large vitamin (11 mm x 27 mm). The Endoscope Pill travels down the gastrointestinal tract, imaging and transmitting data to a belt, worn by the patient. An Electronic pack and antennae, (the size of a portable radio) mounted on the belt records the data over an eight-hour period. A software algorithm is uses to calculate where in the intestinal tract the images were taken. The disposable diagnostic capsule takes two photographs per second and a recorder collects about 57k images. The recorder is returned to the doctor after 24 hours, and it takes about five hours to download and process the data. A computer produces a viewable movie and also indicates where in the intestinal the Endoscope Pill captured the images.
The pill’s coating is resistant to digestive fluid and also makes the pill easy to swallow. The pill’s 256 x 256-pixel CMOS imager requires less power than most CCDs. The CMOS runs off a battery. A laser diode light source provides illumination for the images. CMOS resolution can distinguish objects as small as 0.1 mm.
Source: Various Publications
Reference: Gavriez Meron, Given Imaging Ltd, Yokneam, Israel.
Industrial Products
posted by JD52 @ 9:58 PM,
