Gastroscopy of the stomach without swallowing a probe

Many patients who have problems with digestion are in no hurry to see a doctor only because of the "anticipation" of discomfort from such a diagnostic method as gastroscopy. Indeed, swallowing a tube is an unpleasant procedure, so doctors are often asked the question: is there a gastroscopy of the stomach without swallowing a tube?

Indeed, there is an alternative to probe gastroscopy – the so-called capsule gastroscopy. However, it is not performed in all clinics, and the cost of this diagnostic leaves much to be desired. Nevertheless, gastroscopy of the stomach without swallowing a probe remains in demand, despite some of its disadvantages.

Capsule diagnostics – gastroscopy of the stomach without swallowing a probe – is a relatively new and little-known procedure, with the help of which it is possible to assess the condition of absolutely the entire human digestive tract. Diagnostics – probeless gastroscopy – is carried out using a specific capsule with a mini-camera built into it. Passing along the entire length of the digestive tract, the camera can take 60 thousand photographs over the course of almost eight hours. The doctor receives each image on the monitor using a Bluetooth connection.

Before the advent of the new technique, it was impossible to perform a gastroscopy procedure without swallowing a probe.

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Indications for the procedure

Conducting a gastroscopy of the stomach without swallowing a tube may be recommended in the following cases:

• for stomach pain, to determine the cause of the pain;
• in case of gastric bleeding of unknown origin (if blood appears in the stool );
• in case of any diseases of the digestive organs and the impossibility of performing the procedure with swallowing a tube (for example, if the patient experiences fear or rejection when the tube is inserted);
• to determine the cause of symptoms such as abdominal pain, increased gas, stomach cramps, nausea, a feeling of pressure or a foreign body when swallowing food.

In general, the indications may be the same as for performing a probe gastroscopy: however, the capsule version is more comfortable and easily tolerated by patients.

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Preparation

The procedure of gastroscopy of the stomach without swallowing a tube is relatively expensive, so it is advisable to do everything possible to increase the effectiveness and get the maximum effect from it.

What preparatory measures should be taken before a tubeless gastroscopy?

• Three days before diagnostic gastroscopy, it is recommended to examine the intestines to ensure their patency.
• Two days before diagnostic gastroscopy, you need to make changes to your diet - exclude sweets, beans, cereals, fruits from your diet, leaving lean meat and fish, broths, stewed and boiled vegetables.
• In the evening before the diagnostic gastroscopy, you need to take a special drug to prepare the digestive tract for gastroscopy (as recommended by the doctor, this could be Fortrans liquid or another drug).
• The day before the diagnostic procedure – tubeless gastroscopy, you need to “forget” about smoking and drinking alcohol.
• You should not eat anything the day before a tubeless gastroscopy so that the food does not affect the quality of the images.
• It is recommended to take Espumisan approximately 0.5-1 hour before diagnostic gastroscopy.
• After swallowing the capsule, you need to drink clean water (at least once an hour). It is permissible to have a light snack 4 hours after swallowing the capsule. A full meal is allowed only after eight hours.

Preparing for a gastroscopy of the stomach: what you can and cannot eat, diet

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Technique gastroscopy of the stomach without swallowing a probe.

Conducting a gastroscopy of the stomach without swallowing a probe is carried out in stages:

1. The doctor attaches a special device with electrodes to the patient's abdomen, which will receive a Bluetooth signal from a mini-camera. After the capsule gastroscopy is complete, the doctor will remove the diagnostic device, connect it to the computer and view the resulting image.
2. The patient swallows a capsule with a mini-camera and a sensor – just like swallowing a regular tablet. When swallowed, the capsule enters the stomach cavity in a few minutes, where it takes a series of pictures for about two hours. Then the mini-camera descends into the intestines, and in about a day is excreted from the body naturally, with feces.

There is no need to record the moment the capsule leaves the body, nor to extract it from the feces. All the necessary data is on the device that receives the signal.

Contraindications to the procedure

Gastroscopy of the stomach without swallowing a probe has a relatively small number of contraindications. Such diagnostics should not be performed:

• women during pregnancy;
• patients with epilepsy (with a high probability of exacerbation of the disease);
• children under twelve years of age;
• patients who have a pacemaker installed;
• in case of intestinal obstruction.

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Complications after the procedure

The likelihood of complications or adverse effects after gastroscopy of the stomach without swallowing a tube is extremely minimal:

• the capsule itself with a mini-camera is made of non-toxic and non-hazardous material;
• after diagnostic capsule gastroscopy there is no need to stay in hospital;
• The capsule is disposable and leaves the body naturally.

Only in isolated cases did patients report abdominal pain or changes in the nature of stool. However, such complications after a tubeless gastroscopy procedure are very rare.

Gastroscopy of the stomach without swallowing a probe is easily accepted by patients: this type of examination is absolutely safe for a person’s well-being and health. Perhaps, of the obvious “minuses” of the procedure, only three can be named:

• high cost of the capsule;
• the inability to examine pathologies if they are localized directly in the walls of the digestive tract - for example, some tumors;
• the impossibility of taking biological material for histological examination.

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Care after the procedure

No special care is required after the gastroscopy procedure without swallowing the probe. Immediately after swallowing the capsule, the patient can stay in the hospital for the entire examination, or go home: the doctor will indicate at what time the patient should come to hand over the fixing sensor and decipher the results.

There is no need to wait for the capsule to be excreted, much less remove it from the stool – the capsule is used only once and after the procedure it has no value (including information).

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Reviews

Gastroscopy of the stomach without swallowing a probe is considered a relatively new type of examination. In addition, the procedure is quite expensive, so there are not many reviews about its use. However, it is already possible to say with confidence that if the patient followed all the doctor's recommendations and prepared for the diagnosis correctly, the results of the examination will be as informative as possible.

Unfortunately, the mini-camera inside the capsule does not allow viewing absolutely all pathological zones, so sometimes the doctor may suggest using additional research methods. Not all patients are able to understand this: in the opinion of many, if gastroscopy of the stomach without swallowing a probe is expensive, then it should replace all similar diagnostic procedures. This, of course, is not true. Conducting a gastroscopy without a probe is primarily aimed at creating comfortable conditions for a patient who, for one reason or another, finds it difficult to swallow a probe.