Capsule endoscopy--state of the art.

Capsule endoscopy is a new technology that was recently introduced into clinical practice for the diagnosis of gastrointestinal diseases. As of today, three different capsule types have been produced, designed for the exploration of the small bowel (PillCam SB), the esophagus (PillCam ESO) and the colon (PillCam Colon). The PillCam SB has gained widespread acceptance as a powerful tool for the diagnosis of bleeding from the small bowel as well as for other indications. The PillCam ESO has been used to study patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease, for the screening of Barrett's esophagus, and for the screening and surveillance of esophageal varices in patients with cirrhosis. The results of the pilot studies carried out with this capsule have been encouraging. Large-scale studies are ongoing. The evaluation of the potential of the PillCam Colon capsule is still in its infancy: the two pilot studies published showed that this capsule can produce high-quality images of the colon. The potential of this capsule for clinical purposes, such as colon cancer screening, needs to be evaluated.