SmartPill Wireless Capsule

The SmartPill is a wireless, ingestible capsule that measures acidity (pH), pressure, and temperature. The SmartPill capsule is swallowed by the patient and information is recorded as to acidity and pressures from within the entire gastrointestinal tract. From these measurements, gastric emptying and total gastrointestinal (GI) tract transit time can be obtained.

The SmartPill is about the size of a large vitamin pill. After ingestion by a patient, the SmartPill capsule travels through the GI tract, collecting and transmitting data to a special data receiver. The receiver, slightly larger than a cell phone, is worn on a patient's belt or around the neck on a lanyard. A patient ingests the single-use SmartPill capsule in the doctor's office and, within a day or two, the disposable capsule is excreted naturally from the body. The patient then returns to the doctor, who downloads the information from the data receiver.

In 2006 the SmartPill GI Monitoring System was approved in the U.S. and in Canada for the assessment of gastric pH, gastric emptying, and total GI transit time. In addition, pressure contraction patterns from parts of the stomach (antrum) and small intestine (duodenum) can be measured.

The SmartPill is aimed at evaluating and diagnosing motility disorders. Studies of SmartPill have shown that the information provided on gastric emptying and total GI transit time is useful to evaluate patients with gastroparesis. Gastroparesis, or slow gastric emptying, is a condition that affects a wide range of patients, including up to an estimated 40% of diabetics and those suffering from Parkinson's disease. Studies are about to embark to determine the usefulness of the SmartPill in patients with constipation.