Pill-Size Camera Approved for Endoscopy

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the M2A Swallowable Imaging Capsule from Given Imaging Ltd. of Yokneam, Israel, for use with gastrointestinal endoscopy. The 27-mm-long capsule contains a 256 x 256-pixel CMOS camera and white LEDs for imaging the gastrointestinal tract, notably the regions of the small intestine inaccessible to traditional endoscopes. As it passes through the digestive tract, the capsule transmits images by radio to a wearable receiver for storage.

The FDA requires that traditional endoscopy accompany the use of the pill-size camera. Given will sell the single-use capsules for $450 each. A $20,000 computer workstation is required to process the data.