ROENTGENOGRAPHY has a key position in the diagnosis of diseases of the large intestine that are beyond the sigmoidoscope range. Sometimes, however, even with roentgenography it is difficult to establish inflammations and early changes caused by carcinoma. In addition, changes are often observed to which no definite or reliable clinical significance can be ascribed. Sometimes, even a distinct finding such as a stricture may pose great differential diagnostic difficulties. It is highly important, therefore, to be able to examine the large intestine from the lumen also. The limitation of sigmoidoscopy is that even in favorable conditions, it permits examination of the intestine over a distance of 30 to 35 cm at the most.
As a possible diagnostic aid in diseases of the colon, we experimented with photographing the large intestine with a gastrocamera.1,2
Structure of the Camera.—The camera (Fig 1) consisted of the camera part and a control