A Prospective Randomized Assessment of a Spatial Orientation Device in Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES)
Published in American Journal of Gastroenterology, 2009
Recommended citation: Fowler S, Chen ECS, Hefny M, Ellis RE, Mercer D, Jalink D, Samis A, Hookey L, (2009). "A Prospective Randomized Assessment of a Spatial Orientation Device in Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES)"; in American Journal of Gastroenterology, 104, pp. S534. https://journals.lww.com/ajg/Fulltext/2009/10003/A_Prospective_Randomized_Assessment_of_a_Spatial.1420.aspx
One of the challenges in natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) is spatial orientation. Compared to laparoscopic surgery, NOTES is complicated by the flexibility of the endoscope, making understanding the orientation of the distal tip difficult. Knowledge of the endoscopic tip orientation is important for safe and efficient navigation in the peritoneum. A method to improve spatial orientation must be technically feasible, reliable, easy to implement, and safe, with no added risk to the patient. The Queen’s NOTES research group has devised a novel method of orientation using a magnetic orientation device which passes within an endoscope channel and allows for 3-dimensional imaging of the shape and orientation of the endoscope. This experiment was designed to assess the feasibility of this device in a pig model.