New frontiers in small-bowel imaging: the expanding technology of capsule endoscopy and its impact in clinical gastroenterology

Capsule endoscopy (CE) is now recognized as a significant technologic advancement in gastrointestinal endoscopy that provides noninvasive, high-resolution imaging of the small bowel and esophagus. There is also growing evidence that it may be useful in the colon. Since the introduction of CE to clinical practice, its diagnostic utility has become well established for evaluation of patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. It seems also to be useful in evaluating small-bowel Crohn's disease, compared with other imaging modalities. With respect to esophageal diseases, CE shows promise in the screening of esophageal varices and possibly Barrett's esophagus. A colon capsule endoscope has also been developed, and its potential use in screening for colorectal neoplasia is currently being studied. The technology and software of CE is also rapidly expanding to allow the physician to read and evaluate the capsule videos in a more efficient manner. The Given Imaging system has progressed significantly over the past several years. In addition to Given Imaging, Olympus now offers a small-bowel capsule endoscope system. This new Olympus capsule technology and how it compares with the Given Imaging System is reviewed, in addition to the various clinical uses of CE.