, is an Israel-based diagnostic company that has developed a tool for diagnosis of gastrointestinal tract (GI) disorders called the Given Imaging Diagnostic System. The company is planning to improve this technology so that it can be applied to other areas of the gastrointestinal tract like the esophagus, the stomach, and the colon. The Given Imaging Diagnostic System was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in August 2001. Given was found in 1998 by Dr. Gavriel D. Meron who is currently the President and CEO of the company, which is located in Yoqneam, Israel. .
The Given Diagnostic System is a new diagnostic tool to examine the pathologies of the small intestine. The system uses a disposable miniature video camera contained in a capsule that is ingested by the patient. The capsule passes naturally through the digestive tract and transmits high quality color images, without interfering with the patient's normal activities. It is intended for visualization of the small intestine mucosa in order to diagnose diseases of the small bowel. Disorders that this system intends to diagnose include gastrointestinal bleeding, irritable bowel syndrome, iron-deficiency anemia, Crohn's diseases, and many more. The methods used prior to the invention of the Given Diagnostic System allowed visualization of only one-third of the small intestine. The Given capsule, called M2A, mainly focuses on the small bowel, but scientists are trying to investigate how this capsule can be used to see the esophagus, stomach, and other parts of the colon. .
The size of the capsule is 11mm x 26mm and it weighs approximately four grams. It allows for a 360 degree view of the intestine. The M2A capsule can detect objects of a minimum size of less than 0.01 mm and it captures about 57,000 images during its journey through the GI tract. The rate at which the capsule captures images is about two frames per second.