endoscopy

World's smallest video camera unveiled at 0.99mm

Cameras are getting smaller fast. Just last week, the Naneye camera was declared the world's smallest at just 1mm x 1mm.

Now the Naneye can claim another prize--being the smallest for the shortest amount of time. Because today the Tel Aviv-based medical device firm Medigus has unveiled a camera that is just 0.99mm wide.

Making such a big deal of a difference that is but a fraction of a millimeter may seem like splitting hairs, but in the world of endoscopic devices, even a hair width counts.

"Medical procedures that have not been possible until now become possible with the world's smallest camera," said Dr. Elazar Sonnenschein, Medigus CEO, in a news release. "The advanced technology provides the medical community and patients with safe, quality and cost-effective treatment."

The silicon-based camera houses a dedicated 0.66mm x 0.66mm sensor with image resolution at 45,000 pixels (so not exactly high-resolution at just under 1/20th of a megapixel). Cost has yet to be disclosed, but Medigus says pricing should be "sufficiently low" for use in disposable devices.

The firm says it will be supplying samples in the coming weeks to companies in the U.S. and Japan for use in endoscopic and surgical devices in such fields as cardiology, orthopedics, gastroenterology, and gynecology.… Read more

Remote-controlled capsule examines stomach

Researchers in Germany are reporting two thumbs up for their first clinical trial testing a remote-controlled capsule endoscope in the stomachs of healthy volunteers.

To screen for gastric cancer, physicians often use conventional endoscopy (replete with tubing) to analyze changes in the lining of stomachs, but the uncomfortable procedure, which carries the risk of punctured organs and infection, can result in some patients opting not to have the exam done.

Ingestible capsule endoscopies, with pill-sized video capsules, can record and transmit images in real time without a single incision point. The main issue is that the capsule isn't always … Read more

Video Scout: For surgeons or James Bond?

We've come a long way, baby.

Back when the first endoscope was developed in 1806 to probe "the canals and cavities of the human body," the Vienna Medical Society ruled it to be something of an inappropriate technology, and improvements on such devices were slow-going for decades.

Today the field of endoscopy has splintered out into dozens of areas, playing key roles in procedures that involve almost every part of the human body, from colonoscopies (colon) to rhinoscopies (nose), colposcopies (cervix) to bronchoscopies (airways). The tiny cameras used in these procedures make David Pogue's column look like a review of ancient relics.

At just 3 millimeters in diameter, BC Tech's Video Scout is one of the smallest medical cameras in the world, according to the company's VP of business development, Charlie Skinner:

Medical companies can integrate the Video Scout into biopsy tools, ablation wands, catheters, tissue cutters, scopes and more. We're confident this sort of low cost imaging technology will usher in a new wave of disposable medical products with built in video cameras.

The high cost of health care has led to a big push for more affordable surgical devices. Video Scout has great potential to be a low-cost, single-use alternative to more expensive industry standards. CEO Ben Clawson takes the upside even further:… Read more