5/828 High Street, Kew East VIC 3102
Tel: (03) 9851 6011
Capsule Endoscopy
What is a Capsule Endoscopy?
Capsule Endoscopy is a non-invasive procedure that enables diagnostic imaging of parts of the bowel that cannot be reached by Gastroscopy or Colonoscopy.
Preparation and Procedure
The day before Capsule Endoscopy
After a light lunch you must only have clear fluids.
You may drink as much or as little clear as you wish.
Do not have any solid foods after lunch (no dinner in the evening).
You may take medication up until 10pm.
From 10 p.m the day before, do not eat or drink.
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Day of Capsule Endoscopy
You must arrive at 7:30am fully fasted for your procedure.
Do not take any medications.
Dress in loose fitting, two-piece clothing. A belt will be applied around your abdomen with the data recorder attached. After that, you will be instructed to ingest the PillCam capsule with a glass of water.
After swallowing the PillCam capsule
After ingesting the PillCam capsule, you may go home. You must drink one glass of water every hour throughout the day.
At 1pm, you may have a light lunch and take your medications at this time.
After the examination is completed, you may return to your normal diet.
After ingesting the PillCam capsule and until it is excreted, you should not be near any source of
powerful electromagnetic fields such as one created near an MRI device.
Occasionally, some images may be lost due to radio interference. On rare occasions this may result in the need to repeat the examination.
Capsule endoscopy examination lasts approximately 8 hours. Do not disconnect the equipment or remove the belt at any time during this period. Since the data recorder is actually a small computer, it should be treated with utmost care and protection.
During small bowel capsule endoscopy you will need to verify every 15 minutes that the small light on top of the data recorder is blinking. If, for some reason it stops blinking at this rate, record the time and contact our centre.
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Consent
When having a procedure you are required to complete a consent form.
Your Doctor is responsible for ensuring you are adequately informed of the proposed procedure and minimal risks. You will have the opportunity to discuss any questions you may have with the Doctor prior to your procedure.