PillCam

Pillcam is more commonly known as capsule endoscopy. It involves swallowing a miniature pill like camera.

The swallowed camera takes pictures as it passes through the gastrointestinal tract. It is specifically designed to study the small bowel or intestine. It is not as effective in the stomach and colon. It is used to investigate patients who suffer from bleeding, low iron or anaemia. Pillcam can be useful in certain scenarios where the symptoms require further investigation and where previous studies have been negative.

It can be used to provide further information in inflammatory bowel diseases. It allows for visualization of the small intestine where it is not possible with the standard procedures outlined above. The equipment can be expensive, but Medicare may subsidize some of the costs when strict criteria are met.

Patients are usually referred by a medical professional but please contact our staff and they can discuss this with our specialists, who are experienced in performing capsule endoscopy.