Tethered Endoscope for Photographing the Esophagus

Conventional endoscopes are the “gold standard” for investigating and evaluating mucosal disease of the esophagus. Free-swimming camera pills are large because they must carry camera, batteries, memory, illumination, and some level of image processing power on board. A typical camera pill may measure 11 x 26 mm and may be priced at $1500 per pill — and the pill is not reusable. Camera pills are difficult if not impossible to steer from outside the body. Both camera pills and conventional endoscopes require an expensive external support system. Camera pills may not return information for over 24 hours, until the body eliminates them.