An easier way to remove gallstones

The authors describe the device in a paper accepted to the AIP's Review of Scientific Instruments. A tiny ultrasonic probe at the tip of the endoscope locates gallstones, even small ones embedded in the organ's lining. Surgeons can use the horn-shaped "absorbing box" to get rid of fine, difficult-to-remove "sludge-like" gallstones – which the authors say can be compared with "sand sprinkled on a carpet" – by sucking them out like a vacuum cleaner. A channel for fluids can inject water into the gallbladder to increase the size of the cavity for ease of performing a surgery, and all the interfaces on the device are standardized, so it can connect to camera systems worldwide.

Clinical trials at two hospitals showed "no significant difference" in the surgical safety of the new method compared to another type of endoscope that is often used for cholecystectomies, the authors write. Furthermore, the authors report, the flexibility and reliability of the device was superior to existing devices, and the image quality was better as well. Approximately ten percent of the population suffers from gallstones, hard, pebble-like deposits that can be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a golf ball.

More information: Article: "Design and application of a new series of gallbladder endoscopes that facilitate gallstone removal without gallbladder excision" is accepted for publication in the Review of Scientific Instruments.

Journal reference: Review of Scientific Instruments

Provided by American Institute of Physics