The Development of the Overstitch System and Its Potentials.

Endoscopic suturing device for flexible endoscopy was conceptualized by Apollo Group in collaboration with Olympus Optical Ltd. The first modification of suturing device for flexible endoscopy (Eagle Claw) was manufactured by Olympus engineers and extensively used by members of Apollo Group in numerous bench-top experiments on isolated pig stomachs and in live porcine model. The suturing system for flexible endoscopy in humans (Overstitch) was cleared for general clinical use in the United States in 2008. The latest model is compatible with more than 20 single-channel flexible endoscopes with diameters ranging from 8.8 mm to 9.8 mm made by major endoscope manufacturers.