Dr Ian Berkowitz
GASTROENTEROLOGIST
Video Capsule Endoscopy (VCE)
VCE is used for diagnosing GI conditions such as Obscure Gastrointestinal Bleeding, Chronic Diarrhoea, Crohn's Disease and Malabsorption.
VCE involves ingesting a capsule, the size of a large pill which contains a camera, battery, light source and transmitter. The camera takes several pictures a second for 8 - 12 hours, transmitting images to a data recorder which the patient wears around the waist. The patient has a bowel prep prior to the procedure and the capsule passes naturally through the digestive tract to be excreted.
The day before the procedure the patient takes a bowel prep until 22h00, then nothing on the day of the test. The data recorder is placed on a belt on the patient and the capsule is swallowed with a small amount of water. Clear fluids can be taken four hours after ingestion of the capsule and later a light snack. The images are then downloaded and interpreted.
Phone for appointment
Mon - Friday:
08:30 - 16:30
Tel: +27(0)11 482 8556/7
