PILL-sized cameras are now being used at a North East hospital to investigate and diagnose bowel abnormalities.
Previously, patients at James Cook University Hospital would need to undergo a colonoscopy procedure but now, thanks to state-of-the-art cameras, suitable patients are being given the option to undergo the examination from the comfort of their own home.
The PillCam is roughly 3cm long, has a bright light on it and two minuscule cameras on either side of it. It is swallowed by the patient and travels through their body, photographs their bowel, like a virtual telescope at home.
When the patient comes in for their appointment they are given a data belt which they must wear for the rest of the day. The pictures from the PillCam are sent wirelessly to the belt as it passes through the body.
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