Copyright: ©Author(s) 2027. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastroenterol. Jan 7, 2027; 33(1): 122550
Published online Jan 7, 2027. doi: 10.3748/wjg.122550
Published online Jan 7, 2027. doi: 10.3748/wjg.122550
Magnetic resonance imaging-induced forces on video capsule endoscopes: First systematic in vitro assessment
Maximilian J Beck, Martin Keuchel, Niehls Kurniawan, Peter Baltes, Department of Internal Medicine, Agaplesion Bethesda Hospital Bergedorf, Hamburg 21029, Germany
Julia Paschen, Robin M Laser, Jens Roling, Department of MR Medical Device Testing, MR: comp GmbH, Gelsenkirchen 45894, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Dirk Bandorski, Department of Intensive Care Medicine and Internal Diagnostics, Asklepios Neurological Clinic Bad Salzhausen, Nidda 63667, Hesse, Germany
Dirk Bandorski, Faculty of Medicine, Justus Liebig University, Giessen 35392, Hesse, Germany
Anita C Windhorst, Institute for Medical Informatics, Justus Liebig University, Giessen 35392, Hesse, Germany
Co-first authors: Maximilian J Beck and Martin Keuchel.
Author contributions: Beck MJ and Keuchel M designed the research study; Beck MJ, Paschen J, Laser RM, Roling J, and Kurniawan N performed the research; Beck MJ, Keuchel M, Paschen J, Roling J, and Windhorst AC analyzed the data; Windhorst AC critically reviewed the statistical methodology; Beck MJ and Keuchel M wrote the manuscript; Paschen J, Laser RM, Roling J, Bandorski D, Kurniawan N, and Baltes P critically revised the manuscript; Baltes P supervised the study; all authors have read and approved the final manuscript; Beck MJ and Keuchel M contributed equally to this work as co-first authors; The designation of co-first authorship reflects their equal contributions to the conception and design of the study, the execution of the experimental work, and the drafting of the manuscript.
AI contribution statement: While preparing this manuscript, the authors used the AI-based assistive tools Claude (Anthropic) and ChatGPT (OpenAI) for language refinement, formatting, and editorial suggestions. AI tools were not used to generate original scientific data, to perform statistical analyses, to draw scientific conclusions, or to write substantive portions of the scientific content. All AI-assisted outputs were carefully reviewed, verified, and approved by the authors. The authors take full responsibility and accountability for the integrity, accuracy, originality, and scientific validity of the manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: This study did not involve human subjects, animals, patient data, or biological material of human origin. The study was performed entirely in vitro, using commercially available video capsule endoscopes as test objects in a 3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging scanner environment. No personal data were collected or processed. Therefore, approval from an Institutional Review Board was not required and was not obtained.
Informed consent statement: This study did not involve human subjects, patient data, or biological material of human origin. No personal or identifiable data were collected or processed. Therefore, informed consent was not required and was not obtained.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Keuchel M has received lecture fees and consultancy fees from Medtronic; lecture fees and study support from Jinshan; study support from AnX Robotics; and consultancy fees from CapsoVision; Kurniawan N has received lecture fees from Medtronic; Baltes P has received lecture fees from Medtronic and study support from AnX Robotics; Beck MJ, Paschen J, Laser RM, Roling J, Bandorski D and Windhorst AC declare no conflicts of interest related to this work.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement—checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Corresponding author: Maximilian J Beck, MD, Doctor, Department of Internal Medicine, Agaplesion Bethesda Hospital Bergedorf, Glindersweg 80, Hamburg 21029, Germany.
Received: April 24, 2026
Revised: July 15, 2026
Accepted: September 17, 2026
Published online: January 7, 2027
Processing time: 199 Days and 5.9 Hours
Revised: July 15, 2026
Accepted: September 17, 2026
Published online: January 7, 2027
Processing time: 199 Days and 5.9 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: With the increasing use of video capsule endoscopes (VCEs), accidental magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with an incorporated VCE is a growing risk. To date, no systematic data have been published on MRI-induced forces on VCEs. This in vitro study is the first to systematically quantify displacement forces and torque on 11 commercially available VCEs in a 3-Tesla MRI scanner. All but one VCE exceeded accepted safety thresholds, with magnet-containing capsules showing forces up to 50-fold above gravitational force. These findings highlight a potential safety concern relevant to both clinicians and engineers.