Ingestible pill

Abstract

An ingestible device adapted to travel within the gastrointestinal tract and perform diagnostic imaging of tissues therein is provided. The diagnostic image may include diagnostic information as a function of time, or as a function of distance traveled within the gastrointestinal tract. In particular, the ingestible device may be arranged to perform nuclear radiation of a radiopharmaceutical, scintillation of a scintillation liquid in response to nuclear radiation of a radiopharmaceutical, optical fluorescence of a fluorescing drug or bare gastrointestinal tissue, gastrointestinal Diagnostic imaging of tissue infrared radiation, temperature differential along the gastrointestinal tract, impedance, ultrasound reflections, magnetic resonance, and combinations thereof. The ingestible device may be suitable on the one hand for general screening of large populations and on the other hand for specific diagnosis of possible pathologies.

Description

field of invention [0001] The present invention relates generally to the field of diagnosis of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, and more particularly to an ingestible device that travels in the gastrointestinal tract and performs a diagnosis therein. Background of the invention [0002] The impact of gastrointestinal cancers is serious. Despite the huge expenditure of financial and human resources, early detection of malignancies remains an unfulfilled medical goal. Although many cancers are known to be treatable if detected at an early stage, the lack of a reliable screening process has resulted in them being undetected and untreated. [0003] There are other gastrointestinal disorders that similarly require a reliable screening and diagnostic process to facilitate early detection and treatment. For example, these include irritable bowel syndrome, runny diarrhea, ulcerative colitis, collagenous colitis, microscopic colitis, lymphocytic colitis, inflammatory bowel d...

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