A new capsule robot may soon take some of the discomforts out of having a colonoscopy while still providing accurate results.
Traditionally, a colonoscopy involves inserting a thin, flexible tube (the colonoscope) into a patient’s rectum while they are under sedation.
The colonoscope, which has a light and camera on one end of it, allows the doctor to view the large intestine to find any ulcers, tumours, polyps, or areas where there is inflammation, on a screen.
That is why medical professionals and researchers have been on the hunt to find alternatives to the procedure that can still ensure accurate testing.
Virtual colonoscopy, which uses X-ray is one option, as is the at-home Cologuard test that allows you to mail in a stool sample.
However, those tests aren’t ideal for all patients, nor can they promise results as comprehensive as a colonoscopy.
When paired with standard medical instruments, an 18-millimeter magnetised capsule colonoscope was successful at performing intricate manoeuvres inside the colon. The rectally inserted capsule robot can identify and remove pre-cancerous lesions and tumours — something that’s also done during traditional colonoscopies.
The capsule robot includes a tether on the end, which can attach to biopsy and polyp removal tools. able to perform retroflexion, a move that enables it to offer a reverse view of the colon wall, with just the press of a button instead of requiring the tube to bend
The robot was able to perform retroflexion, a move that enables it to offer a reverse view of the colon wall, with just the press of a button instead of requiring the tube to bend backwards. The capsule robot pulls instead of pushing, so it can potentially reduce the risk of adverse events or the need for sedation, said Dr Keith Obstein, a study author, and associate professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. Currently, the colonoscope may not move into the body as much as desired, which causes it to form loops as it is inserted.
“Our system is able to pull the system from the front, thereby reducing looping and potentially adverse events,” Obstein said on a conference call. As more studies are published and doctors can confirm the significance and efficacy of the technology, it may become more widely used, Vashi noted. Dr David Greenwald, a gastroenterologist with The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, said the fact that the new robot can manoeuvre well, take biopsies, and remove polyps is an exciting innovation.
“The ability to take directed biopsies using a robot capsule as described in this pilot research would be a significant advance, and is very exciting,” Greenwald said. But, he noted that traditional colonoscopy is the only way to completely remove precancerous polyps at this time. The capsule robot colonoscopy technique described in this work is very exciting and innovative,” Greenwald said. “Its role in supplanting some of what is now done by traditional colonoscopy awaits further study.” His team will now work on perfecting the manoeuvres and developing a platform for teaching doctors how to use the technology. “There’s no doubt in the value of colonoscopies to keep people healthy through preventive screening for colon cancer, but many individuals still avoid this procedure, because of fear of the test itself, perceived discomfort, or the risk of sedation,” Obstein said in a statement. “We developed this capsule robot to make traversing the GI tract much easier for both the clinician and patient.”
