Endoscopic examination of the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract is costly, inconvenient, and typically requires that the patient be sedated.1 Standard video endoscopy only provides macroscopic information; therefore, small, focal biopsies are excised to obtain a microscopic tissue diagnosis. Because there are few reliable visible cues for Barrett's esophagus (BE) and dysplasia, crucial diagnostic regions can be missed. To overcome these limitations of endoscopy, we have integrated a microscopic imaging technology into a tethered capsule that can be swallowed. This new method, which we term tethered capsule endomicroscopy, provides microscopic information from the entire esophagus as the pill passes through the GI tract.
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