PATIENTS with digestive problems could be asked to swallow a tiny camera so doctors can get a better picture of what's happening inside them.

The brand new technique, using tiny video camera capsules, is being introduced for patients at Epsom Hospital.

Patients being treated in the endoscopy unit may now be asked to swallow the tiny camera, allowing staff to see what happens throughout digestion. It is designed so that the capsule, which costs £450, passes though the patient naturally, with no surgical procedures needed.

The new technique mean clinicians can assess the whole of the digestive tract, including the small bowel – which was previously impossible to look at without operating on the patient.

Dr Pritash Patel, consultant gastroenterologist, said: "Patients may have suffered for years before the cause of their pain is discovered.

"But with the help of these new cameras, which compliment our existing diagnostic tests, we are providing an invaluable service at Epsom Hospital."