Wireless capsule endoscopy -- beyond the frontiers of flexible gastrointestinal endoscopy

Wireless capsule endoscopy is currently the outstanding technical innovation in diagnostic gastrointestinal endoscopy. Especially for small bowel diseases this new technique offers several potential advantages compared to traditional diagnostic tools. Capsule endoscopy is a painless procedure that can be performed as an ambulatory endoscopic examination. First experimental studies proved the good tolerance of the capsule endoscopy and the possibility of a complete visual investigation of the small bowel. Clinical studies demonstrated possible fields of application: Obscure chronic or intermittent gastrointestinal blood loss and inflammatory bowel disease. The major risk of the procedure - intestinal obstruction by the capsule - may hinder its use in the diagnosis of polyps or tumors in the small bowel. In the next years it will be exciting to see whether capsule endoscopy will finally reach the clinical significance we expect at the moment. Possibly, the diagnostic algorithm for obscure gastrointestinal bleeding has to be changed in the future due to the abandonment of less effective procedures.