A new instrument, called a capsule endoscope, allows physicians to look for abnormalities in the small intestine. Patients swallow a capsule that contains a tiny camera, which transmits images of the small intestine to a recorder worn around the patient’s waist for later viewing by a physician. The camera passes painlessly in the patient’s stool.

Capsule endoscopy is used when extensive testing has failed to reveal the source of gastrointestinal (GI) disorders such as bleeding. The test can also be used to evaluate conditions of the small bowel that cause diarrhea, pain or weight loss, such as Crohn's disease.

The capsule endoscope shows promise in providing images of areas of the small intestine that are hard to reach during a conventional endoscopy. Although the procedure has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it is only used in a handful of medical centers across the country and is not considered to be a substitute for traditional GI endoscopy.