Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA.
IEEE Trans Biomed Eng. 2013 May;60(5):1225-33. doi: 10.1109/TBME.2012.2230631. Epub 2012 Nov 29.
Despite clear patient experience advantages, low specificity rates have thus far prevented swallowable capsule endoscopes from replacing traditional endoscopy for diagnosis of colon disease. One explanation for this is that capsule endoscopes lack the ability to provide insufflation, which traditional endoscopes use to distend the intestine for a clear view of the internal wall. To provide a means of insufflation from a wireless capsule platform, in this paper we use biocompatible effervescent chemical reactions to convert liquids and powders carried onboard a capsule into gas. We experimentally evaluate the quantity of gas needed to enhance capsule visualization and locomotion, and determine how much gas can be generated from a given volume of reactants. These experiments motivate the design of a wireless insufflation capsule, which is evaluated in ex vivo experiments. These experiments illustrate the feasibility of enhancing visualization and locomotion of endoscopic capsules through wireless insufflation.
尽管吞咽胶囊内镜在患者体验方面具有明显优势，但由于其特异性低，至今仍未能取代传统内镜用于结肠疾病的诊断。造成这种情况的一个原因是，胶囊内镜缺乏为肠道充气的能力，而传统内镜正是利用充气来使肠道膨胀，从而清晰观察肠壁内部。为了在无线胶囊平台上提供充气手段，本文利用生物相容性的冒泡化学反应，将胶囊携带的液体和粉末转化为气体。我们通过实验评估了增强胶囊可视化和移动所需的气体量，并确定了从给定反应物体积可以产生多少气体。这些实验为无线充气胶囊的设计提供了依据，我们对其进行了离体实验评估。这些实验说明了通过无线充气来增强内镜胶囊可视化和移动的可行性。
