Ultrasound technology for capsule endoscopy

Video capsule endoscopy (VCE), creating optical diagnostic images in the gastrointestinal tract, is now a well-established concept with commercial devices in clinical use. Ultrasound offers an alternative capsule endoscopy imaging modality with the specific additional capability to obtain information from beneath the visible surface of the lumen of the gut and also a means to intervene therapeutically through targeted drug delivery. Research is under way to ideate, develop, and demonstrate ultrasound capsule endoscopy (USCE), with key results already available. Synergy between USCE and robotic control will be at least as great as that between robotic control and VCE, and it is expected that USCE devices will become available for clinical use in the next few years