Engineering news
Researchers from Vanderbilt University in Tennessee presented results from tests with their 18mm-wide autonomously controlled robot at Digestive Disease Week in Chicago this week. They say it will reduce the potential discomfort of colonoscopies and lead to more people undergoing the life-saving test. The procedure currently involves a long tube with a camera and light attached being inserted into the rectum or a surgical opening. It is vital for identifying diseases such as colon cancer, the fourth most common type of the disease.
“There's no doubt in the value of colonoscopies to keep people healthy through preventive screening for colon cancer, but many individuals still avoid this procedure, because of fear of the test itself, perceived discomfort or the risk of sedation,” said Keith Obstein, the study's author and associate professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville. “We developed this capsule robot to make traversing the gastrointestinal tract much easier, for both the clinician and patient.”
Presenting their results the team described how the robot performed intricate manoeuvres in a pig’s colon, with human trials planned for next year. A robotic arm outside the animal guided the capsule with an external magnet, successfully moving it around to give a reverse-view of the colon wall at the touch of a button. Although the device is still currently attached to a tube, the scientists say the magnetic movement puts less physical pressure on the patient. They hope the device could eventually not only identify pre-cancerous lesions and tumours but also remove them, using an attached “tether”.
Helen Meese, head of healthcare at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said the results of the trial are “very significant”. She said the technique could be less painful and quicker, encouraging more people to have the test.
“Early and speedy diagnosis of cancers such as these could have a significant effect on patient diagnosis and survivability rates and have a knock-on effect of long term cost savings for the NHS,” said Meese. “Often biopsies and invasive exploration of early stage disease can result in overnight stays or even several days in hospital for the patient. In time, this new kind of technique could be done in day surgeries with the patient able to go home within a matter of hours, freeing up much needed bed space in hospital.”
The use of robotics in medicine is growing rapidly, with new equipment giving surgeons greater flexibility while causing less impact to patients. Micro-robotics and nanotechnology are likely to play more of a significant role in future cancer treatment, said Meese. “Combined with AI technology to determine the best course of treatment for a patient in a matter of minutes, we will see cancers and other chronic illnesses treated without putting patients through the long waits and trauma of surgery,” she said.
Even if the trials are successful next year, Obstein's team face a long wait before any potential widespread use in hospitals. Nice, which approves treatments for the NHS, said it would not consider the technique until after human trials have been completed.