Feasibility and safety of a cable transmission magnetically controlled capsule endoscopy system for examination of the human upper digestive tract.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the safety and feasibility of the cable-transmitted, magnetically controlled capsule endoscopy (CT-MCCE) system for examining the esophagus and stomach.

METHODS

A pilot study was carried out at the endoscopy facility of Peking University First Hospital; 30 volunteers were enrolled between September and November 2022. All participants were instructed to swallow the CT-MCCE capsule. An external magnetic robot arm was utilized to manipulate the capsule endoscope with string-facilitated control of the endoscope. This study assessed gastric preparation, safety, maneuverability, and mucosal visualization.

RESULTS

The participants exhibited favorable reactions to the gastric preparation and examination, with no reported adverse effects, and the average duration of the gastric examination was 29.5±6.63 minutes. The gastric cavity cleanliness assessment revealed a good rating in 25 participants (83.3%) and a moderate rating in 5 participants (11.8%). TheCT-MCCE demonstrated good maneuverability in all 30 subjects (100%).The analysis of visualization indicated that more than 75% of the gastric mucosa was discerned in 79.4% of the participants (27 individuals), whereas 50% to 75% was visualized in 20.6% of the participants (7 individuals).

CONCLUSION

This study substantiates the feasibility and safety of employing magnetically controlled capsule endoscopy with cable transmission for the evaluation of human stomach and esophagus.