GI Motility & Smart Pill
Your gastrointestinal or GI motility refers to the number and strength of movements within your digestive system. Checking digestive motility can give doctors great insight into how well your GI tract is functioning. The SmartPill Capsule Motility Procedure provides a wealth of information in a less invasive manner than most traditional GI test procedures. In many cases, it can be performed in under 30 minutes and does not require any downtime afterward.
Swallowing Disorders
What is SmartPill?
The SmartPill is an FDA-approved capsule that you swallow just as you would any ordinary oral medication. However, instead of producing a chemical effect the SmartPill collects data as it passes through your digestive system. In particular, it measures GI motility to help doctors better understand how you are digesting your food. It is especially useful at diagnosing gastroparesis, which involves a partial paralysis of the stomach. Other things the SmartPill is capable of measuring include:
• Stomach acid levels
• GI tract temperature
• Pressure levels
• pH balance
What Are The Benefits?
The SmartPill is able to test motility of the stomach, small intestine, and colon. It is the only test that is capable of measuring the motility of all three. Without SmartPill, you may need to undergo multiple rounds of testing in order to discover what the source of your problem is. The SmartPill also provides a wealth of information that is not available with any other method of testing and is non-invasive.
How Does SmartPill Work?
The SmartPill moves through your system in about three to five days. During that time, it sends information to a recorder that the patient wears on his or her hip. Once the data is collected, doctors will then download and analyze it to make a diagnosis. Motility issues will be determined by the length of time the pill remains in your system. For example, if the pill remains in your stomach for more than four hours, this might indicate a problem with GI motility.