Preliminary study of capsule endoscopy in the small intestine of horses

Objective To evaluate the visibility of various portions of the small intestine in healthy horses using capsule endoscopy. Procedure Six healthy, conscious adult Thoroughbreds were restrained and an endoscopic capsule (PillCam® SB capsule) was inserted into the oesophagus using an intranasal catheter aided by a guide wire. Water (500 mL) flushed the capsule down the gastrointestinal tract. Data were collected and stored in the recorder of the endoscopic system for 6 hours after capsule insertion and the images were evaluated using an image reader and scored using a visual analogue scale. Results Capsule endoscopy enabled observation of the distinct mucosal shape, colour, and villus structure of the intestinal lumen from the duodenum through the proximal jejunum. At 4 h after passing the pylorus, the endoscopic capsule started transmitting increasingly dark images in the distal jejunum as the lumen circumference increased. Means of the visual analogue scale in the duodenum, proximal jejunum, and distal jejunum were 93.8 ± 1.3%, 86.2 ± 2.5% and 48.8 ± 6.3%, respectively. Differences among these values were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusions and Clinical Relevance Capsule endoscopy enables observation of the distinct mucosal shape, colour and villus structure of the proximal and mid-small intestine in healthy horses.