Published online Nov 14, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i42.15664
Revised: April 9, 2014
Accepted: June 26, 2014
Published online: November 14, 2014
Wireless capsule endoscopy (CE) is a technology developed for the endoscopic exploration of the small bowel. The first capsule model was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2001, and its first and essential indication was occult gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. Over subsequent years, this technology has been refined to provide superior resolution, increased battery life, and capabilities to view different parts of the GI tract. Indeed, cases for which CE proved useful have increased significantly over the last few years, with new indications for the small bowel and technical improvements that have expanded its use to other parts of the GI tract, including the esophagus and colon. The main challenges in the development of CE are new devices with the ability to provide therapy, air inflation for a better vision of the small bowel, biopsy sampling systems attached to the capsule and the possibility to guide and move the capsule with an external motion control. In this article we review the current and new indications of CE, and the evolving technological changes shaping this technology, which has a promising potential in the coming future of gastroenterology.
Core tip: In this article we present a review of the actual devices and indications of capsule endoscopy. We deal with current and well established indications and with the novel applications of this technology, which being minimally invasive, has a great perspective for technical improvements and clinical applications. Besides dealing with the new and more controversial indications, we review novel devices, some still under development, which will probably achieve worldwide application in the forthcoming years.