Barrett’s esophagus takes five minutes and is more than 90 percent effective in detecting the condition, they said.
The device is about the size of a vitamin pill. It’s attached to a thin silicone catheter. Once swallowed, it enters the stomach. Doctors then inject air into the catheter to inflate a small balloon.
The balloon is moved around to swab the lower esophagus near the stomach – the area where Barrett’s esophagus usually develops. The swab collects a sample of cells before it’s deflated, pushed back into the catheter and retrieved through the mouth. The cells extracted by the device are then analyzed for abnormalities.
A clinical trial involving 86 people showed the swallowable test was more than 90 percent accurate in detecting those with Barrett’s esophagus.
Also, 82 percent of those who had the test reported little or no