A Super-Sensitive Probe Could Reduce Colon Polyp Removal

Virtual biopsies could eventually eliminate the need to remove gastrointestinal (GI) colon polyps that are not cancerous or which are not expected to develop into the disease.

The Cellvizio GI is a probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (pCLE) system, which is based on a fiber-optic miniprobes 2 mm in diameter that can see structures as small as 1 micron, such as single cells or the nucleus within a cell. The system offers a solution for smooth dynamic microscopic imaging during clinical research endoscopy, since the confocal miniprobes - the key element of the Cellvizio GI system - are so thin they can fit through the operating channel of almost any endoscope. When placed in contact with the mucosa, they deliver real-time video-rate sequences of the tissue microarchitecture at 12 images per second, thanks to a Laser scanning unit and to dedicated software for sequence acquisition and on-the-fly image processing that provides images of tissues at the microscopic level, with a resolution that reaches 1.5 microns, at depths up to 150 microns

To test the pCLE system, researchers at the Mayo Clinic (Jacksonville, FL, USA) compared it against the Fujinon color enhancement system (FICE), which uses optical filters to look at a larger area of tissue, and against the gold standard, which is examination of a removed polyp by a pathologist. A total of 57 polyps from 38 patients were examined. The FICE technique correctly diagnosed 41 of 57 polyps as benign, whereas pLCE picked up 51 of the benign lesions. Based on these clinical studies, the researchers concluded the system is 90% accurate in identifying benign or harmless polyps in patients, and with further modification, could reach almost 100% accuracy. The study was presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology, held during October 2008 in Orlando (FL, USA). The Cellvizio GI pCLE system was developed by Mauna Kea Technologies (Paris, France).

"Using the expertise of a pathologist has been a great way to determine if a polyp is dangerous, but because half of these growths are not dangerous, we are seeking an equally effective and more efficient way to determine who is at risk of colon cancer,” said lead researcher and study presenter Anna Buchner, M.D. "These new probes will change how colonoscopies and other procedures using endoscopes will be done in the future. We will be able to perform real-time virtual biopsies, which will be more efficient in every way.”

Related Links:
Mayo Clinic
Mauna Kea Technologies