Remanufactured Colonoscope Increases Pre-Cancerous Polyp Detection

A balloon system mounted at the tip of a conventional colonoscope increase optical detection rates by straightening intestinal folds and eliminating bowel slippage.

The Smart Medical Systems (Ra’anana, Israel) G-EYE endoscope is based on permanently integrated, reusable balloon that is mounted at the bending section of selected models of leading endoscope brands, such as Fujifilm, Olympus, and Pentax. The G-EYE transforms the standard colonoscope into a versatile, high-performance device via a controlled withdrawal technique, with the balloon partially inflated, which straightens austral folds. If stabilization is needed, the balloon can also be inflated to anchor and stabilize the endoscope during intervention.

By anchoring the balloon in the colon, the G-EYE endoscope can also enable quick and easy application of proprietary NaviAid through-the-channel balloon devices and tools. The combined colonoscopic assembly obviates the need for complicated pre-procedural mounting and preparation, and can aid surgeons optimize ultra-deep small bowel enteroscopy or two balloon colonoscopy procedures, while avoiding the limitations of other inflation balloon techniques.

“While colonoscopy has long been the technique-of-choice for preventing and diagnosing colorectal cancer, it was well known that many adenomas were unfortunately missed during routine colonoscopy,” said Gadi Terliuc, CEO of SMART Medical Systems. “Solid clinical data and close interaction with the clinical community will pave the way for broad acceptance of the G-EYE technology in daily routine. We are committed to our mission of making the G-EYE a standard of care in colonoscopy.”

“I am now using the G-EYE integrated balloon to gain better stability of the scope during withdrawal and increase colon surface area exposure,” said Seth Gross, MD, clinical chief of gastroenterology and hepatology at NYU Langone Health (NY, NY, USA). “The effect of the G-EYE balloon has been shown in clinical studies to be a valuable and innovative new tool in the prevention and early detection of colorectal cancer.”

Colonoscopy is the endoscopic examination of the colon and the distal part of the small bowel with a video camera or a fiber optic camera on a flexible tube passed through the anus. It may provide a visual diagnosis (e.g. ulceration, polyps) and grants the opportunity for biopsy or removal of suspected lesions. Virtual colonoscopy, which uses imagery reconstructed from computed tomography (CT) scans or from nuclear magnetic resonance (MR) scans, is also possible, as a totally non-invasive medical test, although it is not standard and still under investigation regarding its diagnostic abilities.

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