Mini-Microscope Allows for Real-Time Analysis and Treatment of Gastrointestinal Diseases
IESMG provides an innovative imaging tool—real-time microscopy—to identify potentially cancerous tissue within the digestive tract.
Comprised of the world’s smallest and most flexible microscope (smaller in diameter than a shoelace), confocal endomicroscopy magnifies tissue up to 1,000 times, enabling physicians to view the digestive tract at the cellular level and make treatment decisions.
How it Works
Imaging with a confocal endomicroscope is used with a wide range of GI and endoscopy procedures, including those involving the esophagus, stomach, colon, bile duct, and pancreas.
During an interventional endoscopy procedure, a doctor threads the endomicroscope through a traditional endoscope, allowing contact with the digestive tissue. This contact between the microscope probe and mucosa produces high-resolution cellular images.
The miniature tool permits the doctor to more accurately differentiate between normal and pre-cancerous or malignant cells, and in some instances perform a minimally invasive treatment that can preclude the need for a major surgical procedure.
For the patient, it can mean a better chance for definitive and early therapy. Additionally, the majority of procedures can be performed on an outpatient basis. Candidates for Confocal Endomicroscopy
Candidates for Confocal Endomicroscopy
Individuals diagnosed with or at-risk for the following conditions may benefit from imaging with confocal endomicroscopy:
- Barrett’s esophagus or early esophageal cancer
- Early gastric cancer or precancerous gastric lesions
- Bile duct strictures or cancer
- Pancreatic cysts or main duct IPMN
- Large colon polyps