Latvia’s first wireless capsule pH study performed at Dr. Vilkoite’s Digestive Health Clinic

In July this year, Dr. Vilkoite’s Digestive Health Clinic carried out Latvia’s first wireless capsule pH study – a modern and far more comfortable way of diagnosing gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD). It measures acid reflux in the oesophagus precisely while removing much of the discomfort that came with conventional pH monitoring.

The study was performed by gastroenterologist and endoscopist Dr. Ilze Kikuste together with a multidisciplinary team: the clinic’s director, gastroenterologist Ilona Vilkoite; resident doctor and gastroenterologist Krista Cēbere-Kristone; anaesthesiologist Edgars Zellāns; head nurse Evita Bļodniece; physician assistant Karina Bogdanova; and medical assistant Ērika Plopa.

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease is one of the most common digestive disorders, yet it is not always straightforward to diagnose. Patients often describe burning behind the breastbone, acid reflux, a chronic cough, hoarseness or other persistent complaints whose cause is not obvious. In these cases, measuring the acidity in the oesophagus objectively is one of the most reliable ways to confirm or rule out reflux disease and to choose the right treatment.

Until now, Latvia used conventional 24-hour pH monitoring, in which a thin catheter is passed through the nose into the oesophagus and worn for the whole study. The method works, but the discomfort of the catheter can affect eating, sleep and daily activity – changing the very routine the study is meant to measure.

“Wireless capsule pH monitoring changes that experience completely. During a gastroscopy, a small single-use capsule is attached to the lining of the oesophagus. It records acidity continuously and sends the data wirelessly to a small recorder the patient carries. Throughout the study you can carry on as normal – work, eat, sleep and move about – with no catheter through the nose. After a few days the capsule detaches from the oesophageal wall on its own and passes naturally through the digestive tract,” explains Dr. Ilze Kikuste, who performed the study.

Unlike conventional pH monitoring, which lasts 24 hours, the wireless capsule system can record for up to 96 hours. The longer window, combined with the patient keeping to their usual routine, gives the doctor a far more objective picture of reflux episodes and how they relate to the patient’s symptoms. That matters most when symptoms are intermittent or hard to interpret.

The clinic’s director, gastroenterologist Dr. Ilona Vilkoite, says that introducing wireless capsule pH monitoring follows naturally from the clinic’s aim of giving patients in Latvia world-class digestive health care.

“When I founded the clinic, my goal was to give patients in Latvia digestive health care – from diagnosis through to treatment – that meets today’s international standards. Wireless capsule pH monitoring is another step in that direction. It gives the doctor very precise information about acid reflux, and it lets the patient live as normally as possible while the study is running. We believe modern medicine has to be humane as well as accurate: the better the patient’s experience, the better the diagnostic result usually is.”

Wireless capsule pH monitoring has been part of international gastroenterology guidelines for several years and is used by leading digestive disease centres across Europe and beyond. Bringing it to Latvia significantly widens the options for accurate diagnosis of reflux disease and means patients can have a state-of-the-art study without leaving the country.

Dr. Vilkoite’s Digestive Health Clinic is a specialist gastroenterology clinic devoted entirely to digestive health. It brings together gastroenterology consultations, ultrasound, breath tests, laboratory diagnostics, expert-level endoscopy and other modern diagnostic methods under one roof. Every examination and treatment decision is based on international medical guidelines and scientific evidence.

Dr. Vilkoite’s Digestive Health Clinic is at Krišjāņa Valdemāra iela 118, Riga. More about the clinic and how to book: vilkoite.lv

 

Healthcare institution code: 001000432