Zeev Zalevsky, Prof, Asaf Shahmoon, PhD. Zsquare Medical
Objective of the technology
Currently the world of endoscopy faces the following problems which are the objectives for our technology:
1. Patient risks – Existing endoscopic procedures mostly rely on re-usable endoscopes, taking up to 95% of the market share. Re-using an endoscope requires it to be sterilized after each use but bodily fluids and other debris can stay in the devices joints and crevices even after sterilization and disinfection. This can lead to infections and even death.
2. Usability challenges – The two main types of endoscopes available on the market are thick non-disposable endoscopes of 3-5mm and as thin endoscopes of 1mm with single-use disposable functionality. Though thick endoscopes have a relatively high resolution, their bulky nature does not allow surgeons access tiny/restricted areas in the human body, resulting in more incisions having to be made resulting with longer healing times and longer stays in hospitals. Disposable thin endoscopes of 1mm are available but one of the major issues surrounding thin endoscopic fibers is the low pixel resolution rate. Current thin endoscopes do not possess the microscopic resolution required to look at cells inside the body.
3. High costs incurred – Endoscopic devices offered by the market leaders, such as Boston Scientific, Olympus and Fujifilm Corporation, cost in the thousands of dollars for purchasing, leading to huge expenses for hospitals and clinics. In addition, the follow-on treatment and care required in existing endoscopic surgeries incur on average €13,000 more per patient recovery period, due to longer stay, additional use of equipment, and labor required, including the cost for reprocessing and sterilizing each endoscope.
Description of the technology
Our innovative solution acts as an endoscopic tool to examine the interior of a hollow organ or cavity of the body, as well as being able to perform related laparoscopic/minimally invasive surgery (MIS). Our innovative solution can be used for accurate diagnosis of body interior, replacing biopsy procedures due to its high resolution without concern of infections due to its single-use disposable nature. Our patented ultra-thin disposable endoscope offers the next generation of endoscopes thanks to a unique ultra-thin fiber coupled with extremely high image quality. It is composed from a multi-core micro-endoscope fiber having a square cross-section with external dimeter of 0.45mm and it includes more than 80,000 optical cores as well as supports super resolution algorithmic and capabilities to enhance its performance by integrating several such square blocks to enhance further features as resolution, field of view, working distance, 3D capability and more.
Preliminary results
We will present our functional portable prototype in real time operability. We will show recent experimental pre-clinical results demonstrating the performance of our novel endoscope which include capturing high-resolution images with the 0.45mm integrated prototype (which includes an integration between the image sensing fiber and the illumination fiber).
Conclusions
The current portable prototype that will be presented is full functional of demonstrating the above mentioned technical advantages in real-time in pre-clinical validation including the capability of its navigating with enhanced angulation capability.
Presented at the SAGES 2017 Annual Meeting in Houston, TX.
Abstract ID: 90915
Program Number: ET001
Presentation Session: Emerging Technology Session (Non CME)
Presentation Type: Podium