 The tiny capsule is swallowed like a pill |
Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital has taken delivery of a revolutionary device that can transmit pictures from inside a person's body. The minature camera and transmitter allows doctors to see what is going on in patients' intestines.
The M2A capsule is swallowed like a pill and travels into the stomach in the same way as food.
A belt with an attached receiver for the pictures is worn by the patient and enables the hospital staff to see into the stomach.
Dr Peter Watson said the device gets to areas that other procedures cannot cover.
He said: "Previously we could only see as far as the upper part of the small intestine and beyond there was no way of seeing it. But this capsule has enabled that to be possible.
"The beauty of it is that the small intestine is really quite small - it looks a bit like a collapsed garden hose. It really is revolutionary."
The hospital said the new technology would be of great benefit to people suffering from intestinal problems such as Crohn's Disease.
On the down side - it is passed through the body the same way as food and can only be used once.
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