# Bowel Obstruction----partial laproscopy?



## RHJPC (Mar 31, 2003)

I talked more with my gastro today about the polyp found in my small bowel.He says that the only way to get rid of them is by surgery. If it grows or more grow in the small bowel, it can cause bowel obstruction.Partial laproscopies, I guess, can get rid of the polyps and also ulcerations in the intestines.Has anybody ever had one?Also, he wants me to swallow a pill that has a camera in it and takes pictures of my insides to look for the inflammation and if there are more polyps. Any info on that from anybody.....plz?







Thanks!


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## roger (Mar 26, 2003)

Hi RHJPC:I don't know much about laparoscopy since I've never had one done but in a strange way, it is good news. It sounds like the polyp has to come out. The alternative would be to open your abdomen and do major surgery. The laparoscopy is much less invasive and better for patients. My daughter had knee surgery a few years ago and they used an arthroscope. It only required a half inch incision and it saved her weeks of convalescence and physical therapy.The pill cam is a major new advance. I saw it on TV a few weeks ago. It is a bit large for a pill but they showed a patient at Mass General Hospital in Boston swallow one without any difficulty. It has a little built in flash and takes pictures every few seconds. I don't think you have to retrieve it. It has a little built in radio transmitter to send the pictures to a PC. It's an amazing example of electronic miniaturization! It takes the place of an Endoscope, a colonoscope and it can see its way through your small intestine. Amazing!Here's a link with pictures of it: pill cam


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## RHJPC (Mar 31, 2003)

WOW! jrkatz2003 ! Thank you for the info. That really helps


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