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.

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.