Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital is the first in Houston to offer the Third Eye Retroscope, a technology that allows physicians to have a more complete view during colonoscopy exams and better identify abnormalities in the colon.
Operating as a "rear-view mirror," the Third Eye Retroscope helps to visualize potential blind spots in the colon that can be missed during a traditional colonoscopy. Physicians are now able to see between the folds of the colon wall where cancers, polyps and other abnormalities may be hiding.Recent studies show that the Third Eye Retroscope, when used in combination with standard colonoscopy devices, increased polyp detection by 13 percent. Moreover, the study suggested that while the Third Eye Retroscope is effective in detecting additional polyps in the left colon, it is 16.5 percent more effective in detecting additional lesions in the right colon compared to a standard colonoscopy without a Third Eye Retroscope.
The Third Eye Retroscope has a distal tip diameter of just 3.5mm, which is so small that the device passes through the instrument channels of standard-size colonoscopies during a colonoscopy procedure, allowing the physician to see more of the colon and potentially find more lesions.
Although colonoscopy is currently considered the best method available for colorectal cancer screening, we know that lesions may be missed," said Owen Maat, MD, a gastroenterologist at Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital and Bellaire Center for Digestive and Liver Disease. "The Third Eye Retroscope is designed to solve that problem by making it possible for doctors to see areas once considered to be blind spots in the colon."
Recent Clinical Developments in Colorectal Cancer and ColonoscopyColorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common type of cancer and the second greatest cause of cancer death in the U.S. and Europe. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2009, there will be 156,970 new cases of CRC and 49,920 deaths due to CRC. However, these forecasted new cases and deaths do not have to happen, because most cancers of the lower gastrointestinal (GI) tract can be successfully treated if detected early. Even more cases can be prevented if pre-cancerous lesions can be removed before they become malignant.
A colonoscopy is widely regarded as the "gold standard" for detection of abnormalities in the colon. However, previous research has revealed that 12-24 percent of polyps and a significant number of cancers can be missed during a traditional colonoscopy.
A recent large study analysis indicated that right-sided colon cancers can be even trickier to locate, and that the traditional colonoscopy may be missing as many as 40-67 percent of right-sided CRCs."These results are important to both doctors and patients, because most cases of colon cancer arise from adenomas," said Dr. Maat. "The best way for patients to ensure that they are getting the most of their colonoscopy procedure - and therefore, the best possible screening - is to make sure their procedure is performed by an experienced doctor working with the most up-to-date equipment, including better scopes and visualization tools like the Third Eye Retroscope.
"Memorial Hermann Southwest is the first in Houston to offer the Third Eye Retroscope. For more information about this surgery, please contact 713.222.CARE or visit http://www.owenmaat.com