FACILITATED SMALL-BOWEL ENTEROSCOPY

DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF DISEASES OF THE SMALL INTESTINE REMAIN DIFFICULT AND TIME CONSUMING, WITH POOR PATIENT TOLERANCE AND UNCERTAIN OUTCOME. CURRENTLY, 50 TO 100 PATIENTS WITH UPPER GASTROINTESTINAL BLEEDING ARE ADMITTED TO HOSPITALS PER 100,000 POPULATION PER ANNUM. IN 5 PERCENTOF THESE CASES, THERE WILL BE NO IDENTIFIABLE SOURCE OF BLOOD LOSS, DESPITE EXHAUSTIVE TESTING. IMPROVED MEANS FOR DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT FOR THESE PATIENTS ARE REQUIRED TO REDUCE THEIR 10 PERCENT MORTALITY RATE. MERIX CORPORATION PLANS TO DEVELOP AND DEMONSTRATE A PROTOTYPE ENTEROSCOPIC SYSTEM THAT WILL PERMIT RAPID, SAFE, ROUTINE EXAMINATION OF THE ENTIRE SMALL INTESTINE TO LOCATE AND IDENTIFY SITES OF GASTROINTESINAL BLEEDING. BY MODIFYING AN APPROACH DEMONSTRATED FOR FACILITATED COLONOSCOPE INSERTION, IT WILL BE POSSIBLE TO INSERT A DIAGNOSTIC ENDOSCOPIC PROBE FROM THE NOSE TO THE TERMINAL ILEUM IN LESS THAN 30 MINUTES, WITHOUT PATIENT DISCOMFORT. THIS PROCEDURE WILL ALLOW ROUTINE EXAMINATION OF THE 14 FEETOF SMALL INTESTINE, WHICH PRESENTLY CAN ONLY BE VIEWED BY PROCEDURES THAT ARE POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS OR VERY TIME CONSUMING. THE PROCEDURE ALSO HAS THE POTENTIAL FOR ENABLING, FOR THE FIRST TIME, THERAPEUTIC ENTEROSCOPIC TREATMENT OF THIS REGION AS WELL.