The diagnosis of esophagus diseases such as gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD), erosive esophagitis, or Barrett's esophagus (which is known to lead to cancer) can be painful and difficult. Traditionally, these diseases are diagnosed using endoscopy, which is the most common way to examine the esophagus. In endoscopy, a long tube is fed through the patient's mouth and down into the esophagus. The patient must be sedated and after the procedure, it may take the patient a few hours to recover. However, there is a new technology to check the esophagus that is quick and painless. The device, called PillCam ESO, is a smooth plastic capsule about the size of a large vitamin pill. Patients must fast for two hours before swallowing the pill, which houses a minuscule camera. As the patient swallows it, it takes about 2,600 pictures of the esophageal tract. That averages out to about 14 pictures are taken per second. These pictures are transmitted to a recording device worn around the patient's waist as a belt. Then the capsule is passed naturally and painlessly from the body within 72 hours. This technology is revolutionary due to its lack of discomfort.
I found this article interesting because simply the concept of a pill with a camera in it is amazing. In the past decades, scientists and engineers have come up with a lot of astonishing ideas. Decades ago, people never would have predicted these feats. This is one that has been brought to life. I was enticed by this article because it made me wonder if there are other procedures that can be done in different (or less traumatic) ways. Also, it made me realize what depths doctors go to in order to ensure patient comfort. Additionally, I found that although I thought the tiny pill camera was considered nanotechnology, it is not. It is too large to be on the nano-scale. In conclusion, I learned a lot from this article and found it very fascinating.
