Whole bowel screening

The Royal Free Centre for Minimally Invasive Gastroenterology is now offering a Whole Bowel Health Check service using the PillCam Colon2 video capsule. It provides a pain-free recording that can span the entire 7 metres of digestive tract – throat, stomach, small bowel and colon – while you continue your daily activities. It is painless and offers a different route to the investigation of digestive disorders.

By scouting the inner lining of the whole bowel, PillCam enables the clinician to differentiate disorders arising from the inner surface lining (like inflammation, ulcers, polyps and diverticulosis) from those that may arise from deep within the lining (like irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia).

Who is the whole bowel check for?

• Seeking reassurance about or exclusion screening / early detection of gut diseases, such as polyps or cancer.
• For patients with symptoms who want fast access to painless investigations.

Benefits

By scouting the inner lining of the stomach and intestines, PillCam enables the clinician to differentiate disorders arising from the inner surface lining (like ulcers, polyps and diverticulosis) from those that may arise from deep within the lining (like irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia).

• The PillCam procedure is convenient, comprehensive and painless.
• After swallowing the capsule, you can immediately continue your daily activities.
• Unlike conventional endoscopy, PillCam images the whole GI tract – throat (oesophagus), stomach, small bowel and colon.

The procedure

• Simply swallow the disposable capsule with a glass of water.
• You can return immediately home while the camera moves its way through the gut propelled like any food.
• The procedure is painless.
• There is no need to be sedated or escorted.
• There is no need to retrieve the disposable PillCam, which is passed naturally.
• The battery maintains sufficient power for 14 hours and, in most patients, the time from swallow to flushing is between 6 and 11 hours.
• Once the PillCam is expelled, the receiver is returned to our unit and the video is downloaded, where it is viewed and reported by expert practitioners.
• Results will be available to the patient within 72 hours of the test.

For more information or to book an appointment, please contact our dedicated enquiries team who are available Monday – Friday from 8am – 6pm on 020 7317 7751 or rf-tr.privateenquiries@nhs.net