Endoscopy enables a health professional to view a patient's digestive tract nonsurgically. Available for some time for humans, it is now available for veterinary patients. 

Ohio State University (OSU) announced the availability of a novel endoscopy tool in the form of a 1½ cm pill that encloses a compact, high-resolution camera. Veterinarians can now fully analyze an animal’s gastrointestinal tract, using it.

The announcement was made June 23. OSU’s Veterinary Medical Center (VMC) adopted the tool in 2015.

“It’s really the first time in veterinary medicine that we’ve had the ability to evaluate the small intestine completely,” said Adam Rudinsky, DVM, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at OSU, who developed the tool. “There was no previous way of imaging that portion of the body in its entirety.”

An animal can swallow the capsule directly, or it can be placed within the gastrointestinal tract during a traditional endoscopic procedure. It then moves through the system while taking continuous images, which are communicated to an external monitor for analysis.

Of primary significance is the device’s capability to identify lesions in their exact locations, which can be specified down to the inch. This is possible due to a three-dimensional tracking system that produces a graph of the capsule’s journey upon its completion. The graph can then be studied to pinpoint the site of any lesions or abnormalities.

Interested referring veterinarians can call 614-292-0950 and ask to speak with referral coordinator Stephanie Yochem.

Photo credit: © iStock/Lindsay Helms