Telemetry capsule for measuring contractile motion in the small intestine

The aim of this study was to develop a capsule which can measure contractions in the small intestine. Currently available methods cause discomfort to the patient while taking measurements; with the development of a telemetry capsule that can measure contractions, patients can avoid pain and continue with ordinary activities while the information is automatically collected from the external receiver. In order to develop the contraction force measuring capsule, various types of silicone transducers were designed and implemented to measure the contraction pressure in the small intestine. The minimum resolution of the implemented transducer was 0.05 mbar, which was small enough to measure contractions. The transducer was assembled with telemetry modules and packaged as a capsule (I broken vertical bar 13 x L25 mm) that had a similar size to a commercial capsule endoscope. In order to verify the function of the capsule, in vitro experiments were conducted and contractile motion was measured as 16.6 cycles per minute (CPM).