Published in:
01-03-2011 | Case Report
Experience with the New 4-Way, 5.5-mm Ultrathin Endoscope: A Case Series
Published in: Digestive Diseases and Sciences | Issue 3/2011
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Background and Study Aims
Use of ultrathin (ut) endoscopes is sometimes limited by their design (outer diameter, tip angulation and image quality). New ut-endoscopes are being designed to address these limitations. A new utendoscope, XGIF-PV70N5 (Olympus America Inc.), with an outer diameter of 5.5 mm, 4-way angulation and narrow band imaging has recently been introduced. In this study, we report our subjective experience with this prototype ut-endoscope and discuss the practical uses of its new features.
Patients and Methods
In this prospective case series, ut-endoscopy was performed on selected patients scheduled for endoscopy at a tertiary referral center.
Results
Ut-endoscopy was successfully performed on 15 patients with varied indications. The 4-way angulation proved advantageous but not necessary. Narrow band imaging was not very useful in this group of patients. The image quality was satisfactory.
Conclusions
The prototype ut-endoscope can be used for a broad range of indications. The 4-way angulation may prove advantageous in specific situations and the role of narrow-band imaging remains to be defined.