In the article “What is an endoscope?”, I explained that there are various types of endoscopes.

Among them, we will introduce a relatively new capsule-type endoscope.

Technology that made the impossible possible

Unlike conventional endoscopes, capsule-type endoscopes, which contain a small camera in a small capsule with a length of about 1 cm, are intended to be completely swallowed and discharged from the anus. It takes an image while passing through the body and sends the data to the receiver. It is disposable after being excreted from the body.

This has made it possible to observe the small intestine, which was not possible before.

The first capsule endoscope was developed in 1994 by a research institute of the Israeli government. Since then, each country has been conducting research to make improvements. In Japan, companies such as RF and Olympus are engaged in research, and sales have started in 2008.