Background Traditional esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), an invasive examination method, can cause discomfort and pain in patients. In contrast, magnetically controlled capsule endoscopy (MCE), a noninvasive method, is being applied for the detection of stomach and small intestinal diseases, but its application in treating esophageal diseases is not widespread. To evaluate the safety and efficacy of detachable string MCE (ds-MCE) for the diagnosis of esophageal diseases.

Methods Fifty patients who had been diagnosed with esophageal diseases were prospectively recruited for this clinical study and underwent ds-MCE and conventional EGD. The primary endpoints included the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and diagnostic accuracy of ds-MCE for patients with esophageal diseases. The secondary endpoints consisted of visualizing the esophageal and dentate lines, as well as the subjects’ tolerance of the procedure.

Results Using EGD as the gold standard, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and diagnostic accuracy of ds-MCE for esophageal disease detection were 85.71%, 86.21%, 81.82%, 89.29%, and 86%, respectively. ds-MCE was more comfortable and convenient than EGD, with 80% of patients feeling that ds-MCE examination was very comfortable or comfortable and 50% of patients believing that detachable string magnetically controlled capsule endoscopy examination was very convenient.

Conclusions This study revealed that ds-MCE has the same diagnostic effects as traditional EGD for esophageal diseases and is more comfortable and convenient than EGD, providing a novel, noninvasive method for treating esophageal diseases.