title: Experimental assessment of a novel robotically-driven endoscopic capsule compared to traditional colonoscopy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite colonoscopy represents the conventional diagnostic tool for colorectal pathology, its undeniable discomfort reduces compliance to screening programmes.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate feasibility and accuracy of a novel robotically-driven magnetic capsule for colonoscopy as compared to the traditional technique.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eleven experts and eleven trainees performed complete colonoscopy by robotic magnetic capsule and by conventional colonoscope in a phantom ex vivo model (artificially clean swine bowel). Feasibility, overall accuracy to detect installed pins, procedure elapsed time and intuitiveness were measured for both techniques in both operator groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Complete colonoscopy was feasible in all cases with both techniques. Overall 544/672 pins (80.9%) were detected by experimental capsule procedure, while 591/689 pins (85.8%) were detected within conventional colonoscopy procedure (P=ns), thus establishing non-inferiority. With the experimental capsule procedure, experts detected 74.2% of pins vs. 87.6% detected by trainees (P<0.0001). Overall time to complete colon inspection by robotic capsule was significantly higher than by conventional colonoscopy (556±188s vs. 194±158s, respectively; P=0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With the limitations represented by an ex vivo setting (artificially clean swine bowel and the absence of peristalsis), colonoscopy by this novel robotically-driven capsule resulted feasible and showed adequate accuracy compared to conventional colonoscopy.
authors: Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Torino, Italy. alberto.arezzo@unito.it
authors: Alberto
authors: A
authors: Arezzo
authors: Arianna
authors: A
authors: Menciassi
authors: Pietro
authors: P
authors: Valdastri
authors: Gastone
authors: G
authors: Ciuti
authors: Gioia
authors: G
authors: Lucarini
authors: Marco
authors: M
authors: Salerno
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: Di Natali
authors: Mauro
authors: M
authors: Verra
authors: Paolo
authors: P
authors: Dario
authors: Mario
authors: M
authors: Morino
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D053705:Capsule Endoscopes; D053704:Capsule Endoscopy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D003106:Colon; D020685:Colonoscopes; D003113:Colonoscopy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D004867:Equipment Design; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008280:Magnetics; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012371:Robotics; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013552:Swine
keywords: Capsule endoscopy; Colorectal cancer screening; Endoscopic robotic platform