Researchers have developed a vibrating capsule that can help ease constipation.
Initial tests of the device, which moves through the digestive track, has shown promise in relieving patients' discomfort.
A small engine inside the capsule is designed to start vibrating within six to eight hours after ingestion. The vibrations cause the insides of the intestine to contract, which helps move stool.
Yishai Ron, lead researcher and director of Neurogastroenterology and Motility at Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and his colleagues recruited 26 patients with chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) and constipation predominant irritable bowel syndrome (C-IBS) for the probe. They skipped laxative consumption for two weeks prior to using the vibrating capsule twice a week, then logged details on their daily bowel movement and laxative use.
Patients' spontaneous bowel movements went from two to four times a week after taking the capsule, and their constipation symptoms were reduced as well. Capsule use also showed minimal side effects.
"Despite the widespread use of medication to treat constipation, nearly 50 percent of patients are unsatisfied with the treatment either because of side effects, safety concerns about long-term use, or the fact that it simply doesn't work. Sometimes, drug therapies bring more issues than relief for these patients. The results of this study point to the potential for an alternative treatment that avoids the typical drug side effects, such as bloating and electrolyte imbalance, by imitating the body's natural physiology," Ron said in a press release.
Ron also told USA Today that the capsule was able to resolve some of the patients' constipation. While some of them had symptoms that didn't disappear completely, a number of them opted not to go back to medication after using the capsule.
Ron's team is planning further studies on the device. Longer trials and a controlled double blind study are in the capsule's future.
This study was presented May 3 at the Digestive Disease Week event held in Chicago, Ill.
