Poon Carmen C Y, Leung Billy, Chan Cecilia K W, Lau James Y W, Chiu Philip W Y
CUHK Jockey Club Minimally Invasive Surgical Skills Center, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong.
CUHK Chow Yuk Ho Technology Center for Innovative Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong.
Surg Endosc. 2016 Feb;30(2):772-778. doi: 10.1007/s00464-015-4224-8. Epub 2015 May 28.
The current design of capsule endoscope is limited by the inability to control the motion within gastrointestinal tract. The rising incidence of gastrointestinal cancers urged improvement in the method of screening endoscopy.
This preclinical study aimed to design and develop a novel locomotive module for capsule endoscope. We investigated the feasibility and physical properties of this newly designed caterpillar-like capsule endoscope with a view to enhancing screening endoscopy.
This study consisted of preclinical design and experimental testing on the feasibility of automated locomotion for a prototype caterpillar endoscope. The movement was examined first in the PVC tube and then in porcine intestine. The image captured was transmitted to handheld device to confirm the control of movement. The balloon pressure and volume as well as the contact force between the balloon and surroundings were measured when the balloon was inflated inside (1) a hard PVC tube, (2) a soft PVC tube, (3) muscular sites of porcine colons and (4) less muscular sites of porcine colons.
The prototype caterpillar endoscope was able to move inward and backward within the PVC tubing and porcine intestine. Images were able to be captured from the capsule endoscope attached and being observed with a handheld device. Using the onset of a contact force as indication of the buildup of the gripping force between the balloon and the lumen walls, it is concluded from the results of this study that the rate of change in balloon pressure and volume is two good estimators to optimize the inflation of the balloon.
The results of this study will facilitate further refinement in the design of caterpillar robotic endoscope to move inside the GI tract.
目前胶囊内窥镜的设计受限于无法控制其在胃肠道内的运动。胃肠道癌症发病率的上升促使内窥镜筛查方法得到改进。
这项临床前研究旨在设计并开发一种用于胶囊内窥镜的新型移动模块。我们研究了这种新设计的毛虫样胶囊内窥镜的可行性和物理特性，以期加强内窥镜筛查。
本研究包括对毛虫样内窥镜原型自动移动可行性的临床前设计和实验测试。首先在PVC管中测试其运动，然后在猪肠道中进行测试。所捕获的图像被传输到手持设备以确认运动控制情况。当气囊在（1）硬PVC管、（2）软PVC管、（3）猪结肠的肌肉部位和（4）猪结肠的少肌肉部位内充气时，测量气囊压力和体积以及气囊与周围环境之间的接触力。
毛虫样内窥镜原型能够在PVC管和猪肠道内前后移动。能够从连接的胶囊内窥镜捕获图像并用手持设备进行观察。以接触力的出现作为气囊与管腔壁之间抓握力形成的指标，从本研究结果得出，气囊压力和体积的变化率是优化气囊充气的两个良好指标。
本研究结果将有助于进一步完善毛虫机器人内窥镜在胃肠道内移动的设计。
