現在醫生們有一個可以大范圍地監察小腸的器具。最近批準的可與傳統的內窺鏡共同使用的M2A是一種可吞咽的無線影像膠囊。
Picture Snapping1) Pill
Physicians perform more than two million endoscopies2) a year on the small intestine3),looking for cancers and other ailments4) by inserting fiber-optic5) tubes via the throat or rectum6).This often requires sedation7),can be uncomfortable,and some areas remain inaccessible.But now doctors have a tool that can see more of the small intestine.The M2A ――recently approved for use along with traditional endoscopes ――is a wireless video capsule that’s swallowed.It maps the intestine as you go about your business.The M2Asanps two pictures a second for eight hours as it passes through a patient’s system,beaming images to a small recorder worn at the waist.These images are then downloaded to a computer for doctors to analyze.The capsules won’t banish the endoscope,however doctors believe that the M2A is an important diagnostic8) advance.