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| Media Contacts Mary Jo Wich Lois Kendall 314-525-4005 |
Release Date: 1/6/2009
Endoscopy uses SpyGlass™ Technology to view bile ducts clearly
Lynn Moore, left, and Shelley Riddle, both work in GI Lab, with the SpyGlass™, a new technology that allows a gastroenterologist to view the interior of bilary ducts without the need for additional testing, procedures or invasive surgery.
Patients with abdominal pain, gallstones, abnormal enzyme levels or other problems related to the liver or gallbladder now have a new diagnostic tool available in the Endoscopy Department —the SpyGlass™.
As its name indicates, the SpyGlass™ System enables the gastroenterologist to better visualize the interior of the biliary ducts and make a diagnosis without the need for additional testing, repeat procedures or invasive surgery. The technology allows staff to perform visually directed biopsies of the biliary system and has improved their ability to diagnose biliary cancer. It also enables physicians to treat refractory biliary stones.
The SpyGlass™ System, developed by Boston Scientific Corp., provides direct visual access into a patient’s biliary duct, in full color and real time. A fiber optic probe attaches to a camera head and is inserted through a single-use catheter that can be steered in four directions. This is designed to enable the physician to access and inspect all four quadrants of the examination and treatment area, achieving an improved diagnosis.
Currently, nearly half a million people in the U.S. each year undergo a procedure called an ERCP, to diagnose problems in their liver, gallbladder and bile ducts. As part of the traditional ERCP procedure, the physician inserts a long, flexible, lighted tube through the patient’s mouth, through the stomach, into the first part of the small intestine, to view the entrance to the biliary tract. However, these X-rays are two-dimensional black-and-white images that often do not provide enough information for a complete diagnosis.
“Before, we could only visualize the common bile duct through fluoroscopy in Radiology,” said Shelley Riddle, a G.I. (gastrointestinal) nurse who has worked in endoscopy for 29 years. “With this system, we can see tumors, stones or biliary strictures inside the patient’s liver and bile duct—without surgery—and immediately begin treatment to help them get better. I am in awe every time we do one.”
The SpyGlass™ technology currently is being used mainly by the leading research and medical centers in the country. St. Anthony’s Endoscopy Department acquired this system because it provides a much better diagnostic tool, which translates into improved patient care.
For information, please call our Health Access Line at 314-ANTHONY (268-4669) or 800-554-9550 or visit our find a physician online.
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