Agile patency system eliminates risk of capsule retention in patients with known intestinal strictures who undergo capsule endoscopy.

Background: Capsule endoscopy (CE) of the small bowel has become a standard diagnostic tool, but there have been concerns regarding the risk of capsule retention in certain high-risk groups. The Agile patency system, an ingestible and dissolvable capsule with an external scanner, was developed to allow physicians to perform CE with greater confidence that the capsule will be safely excreted in patients at risk for capsule retention.

Objective: Our purpose was to assess the ability of the device to help physicians identify which patients with known strictures may safely undergo CE.

Cancer screening in the elderly population.

This article reviews the current state of knowledge regarding cancer screening in the geriatric population. Care of the elderly requires knowledge of underlying physiologic changes, comorbidities, quality-of-life factors, and life expectancies. There is always the danger that ageism may prevent elderly cancer patients from receiving the proper treatment.

Sting of the puss caterpillar: an unusual cause of acute abdominal pain.

We report the case of a 41-year-old man with abdominal pain after envenomization by a puss caterpillar. The patient's medical history and physical examination revealed classic symptoms, leading to the correct diagnosis and appropriate therapy with intravenous calcium gluconate. Although severe, local reactions to puss caterpillar envenomization have been previously described, to our knowledge this is the first report of a patient with severe, acute abdominal pain caused by a puss caterpillar's sting.

Acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding.

Preview Where are bleeding angiodysplastic lesions and diverticula most commonly found? What are the uses of radionuclide bleeding scans and selective mesenteric angiography? When is surgical intervention warranted for patients with acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding? Drs Manten and Green provide practical answers to these and other questions in this overview of diagnostic and therapeutic options.