Vol. 29, No. 1
More about gastroenterology and nutrition
The pediatric experts in this department care for infants, children and teens with diseases of the esophagus, stomach, intestines, pancreas and liver. Conditions treated include chronic diarrhea, inflammatory bowel disease, constipation, esophageal reflux, pancreatitis, peptic ulcer disease, hepatitis, eating disorders and persistent vomiting. The department also conducts clinical research to improve the care of children.
Staff
Adam Mezoff, MD Sonia Michail, MD Daniel Preud’Homme, MD
To see a doctor
Talk to your pediatrician or family doctor. He or she can make a referral.
Capsule endoscopy
A new procedure that is easy to swallow
Joshua is prepared for the capsule endoscopy – the first performed at Dayton Children’s. The FDA approved this innovative procedure just 10 months ago.
On the morning of September 30, 2004, 12-year-old Joshua Rankin perched on a bed in the Almost Home unit at The Children’s Medical Center of Dayton. A half-dozen professionals clustered around his bed waiting for a procedure called a capsule endoscopy to get underway.
Joshua, the son of Michelle and Robert Rankin of Dayton, was diagnosed four years ago with a rare disorder called Peutz-Jegher syndrome that affects about one in 25,000 individuals. It is one of several genetic disorders associated with gastrointestinal polyps.
Joshua is now being cared for by Adam Mezoff, MD, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Dayton Children’s.
Joshua and others with Peutz-Jegher syndrome have regular blood tests and undergo numerous endoscopies to deal with dozens and even hundreds of polyps that develop in their intestines.
Why all the excitement this September morning? Joshua was the first patient at Dayton Children’s to undergo a capsule endoscopy. This advanced procedure was approved by the FDA just 10 months ago for use in children.
The capsule endoscopy requires little preparation. Traditional endoscopies require a day of preparation and threading the “scope” through the large or small intestine. The patient undergoing a capsule endoscopy, however, simply swallows a high-tech capsule about the size of a mini Tootsie-Roll and waits for the capsule to complete its journey through the small intestine – usually about eight hours. Along the way, a tiny camera snaps two pictures a second, which provides direct visualization of the small bowel.
Adam Mezoff, MD, a pediatric gastroenterologist, is treating Joshua for Peutz-Jegher syndrome, a rare disorder affecting one in 25,000 individuals.
“It was awesome,” says Michelle Rankin, Joshua’s mother. “Joshua had no trouble with the procedure.” One of the highlights for Joshua was the sample capsule – just like the one he swallowed – that he was given as a souvenir.
From the images produced, Dr. Mezoff learned that Joshua had several large polyps that needed to be dealt with. These were in the part of the bowel that cannot be visualized by traditional endoscopies.
“The capsule endoscopy permitted us to find Josh’s polyps without surgery, which would have been necessary if this test was not available,” he explains.
“While this doesn’t replace traditional endoscopies, it provides an exciting tool for better diagnosis and treatment of certain gastrointestinal disorders, which was not possible before its invention,” he explains.
Today, just over three months since the procedure, Joshua is doing well and continues regular follow-up visits to Dr. Mezoff. Although his eight hours of fame are over, he continues to impress his friends with the sample capsule he took home September 30.
Joshua, Robert and Michelle Rankin of Dayton continue to visit Dayton Children’s department of gastroenterology for follow up care.
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Table of Contents |
3 A new procedure that's easy to swallow
4 Brush up on disease prevention
5 K99.1FM Miracle Marathon makes a million miracles happen
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