Tethered capsule endomicroscopy enables less invasive imaging of gastrointestinal tract microstructure.

Gora, Michalina J; Sauk, Jenny S; Carruth, Robert W; Gallagher, Kevin A; Suter, Melissa J; Nishioka, Norman S; Kava, Lauren E; Rosenberg, Mireille et al. · Nat Med · 2013

case_series · Level IV

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Abstract

Here we introduce tethered capsule endomicroscopy, which involves swallowing an optomechanically engineered pill that captures cross-sectional microscopic images of the gut wall at 30 μm (lateral) × 7 μm (axial) resolution as it travels through the digestive tract. Results in human subjects show that this technique rapidly provides three-dimensional, microstructural images of the upper gastrointestinal tract in a simple and painless procedure, opening up new opportunities for screening for internal diseases.

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