A novel one-step lens cleaning device using air and water flow for endoscopic surgery

Comparative Analysis of Endoscope Obscuration With Utilization of an Endonasal Access Guide for Endonasal Skull Base Surgery

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

In endoscopic endonasal approaches (EEAs) for skull base pathologies, endoscope view obscuration remains a persistent, time-consuming, and distracting issue for surgeons and may result in increased operative time. The endonasal access guide (EAG) has been demonstrated as a possible adjunct to minimize these events. However, to date, there have been no comparative studies performed and the potential time savings by using EAGs have yet to be quantified. This cohort study aimed to determine the operative efficiency benefits of the EAG in EEA operations.

METHODS

Analysis of EEA operative videos from an EAG cohort (n = 20) and a control cohort (n = 20) was performed, assessing 12-minute segments in the first, middle, and last third of each operation. The first segment in each cohort was selected before EAG placement, serving as an internal control. Every endoscope lens soiling instance was counted (measured as cleaning actions per minute), timed (obscuration time %), and identified as a withdrawal, irrigation, or other cleaning action. Perioperative variables including skull base repair and postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage were assessed.

RESULTS

Within the EAG cohort, obscuration time was reduced in the middle and last third compared with the first third (3.73% [CI: 2.39-5.07] vs 12.97% [CI: 10.24-15.70], P < .001; 4.19% [CI: 2.83-5.55] vs 12.97% [CI: 10.24-15.70], P < .001) and cleaning actions were also significantly reduced by EAG (0.69/min [CI: 0.39-0.99] vs 1.67/min [CI: 1.34-2.00], P = .001; 0.66/min [CI: 0.35-0.97] vs 1.67/min [CI: 1.34-2.00], P < .001). Between the control and EAG cohorts, there was no significant difference between obscuration time and cleaning actions in the first third (9.33% vs 12.97%, P = .086; 1.34/min vs 1.67/min, P = .151) or in the middle third (6.24% vs 3.73%, P = .140; 0.80/min vs 0.69/min, P = .335), but there was a significant difference in the last third (9.25% [CI: 6.95-11.55] vs 4.19% [CI: 2.83-5.55], P < .001; 0.95/min [CI: 0.73-1.17] vs 0.66/min [CI: 0.35-0.97], P = .018).

CONCLUSION

EAG significantly reduces lens obscurations and cleaning events, particularly during the intradural portion of operations. This technology may offer a greater time-saving impact with patients undergoing long EEA operations.

Laser-Enabled Surface Treatment of Disposable Endoscope Lens with Superior Antifouling and Optical Properties

Endoscopes are ubiquitous in minimally invasive or keyhole surgeries globally. However, frequent removal of endoscopes from the patient's body due to the lens contaminations results in undesirable consequences. Therefore, a cost-effective process chain to fabricate thermoplastic-based endoscope lenses with superior antifouling and optical properties is proposed in this research. Such multifunctional surface response was achieved by lubricant impregnation of nanostructures. Two types of topographies were produced by femtosecond laser processing of metallic molds, especially to produce single-tier laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) and two-tier multiscale structures (MS). Then, these two LIPSS and MS masters were used to replicate them onto two thermoplastic substrates, namely polycarbonate and cyclic olefin copolymer, by using hot embossing. Finally, the LIPSS and MS surfaces of the replicas were infiltrated by silicone oils to prepare lubricant-impregnated surfaces (LIS). Droplet sliding tests revealed that the durability of the as-prepared LIS improved with the increase of the lubricant viscosity. Moreover, the single-tier LIPSS replicas exhibited longer-lasting lubricant conservation properties than the MS ones. Also, LIPSS-LIS replicas demonstrated an excellent optical transparency, better than the MS-LIS ones, and almost match the performance of the reference polished ones. Furthermore, the LIPSS-LIS treatment led to superior antifouling characteristics, i.e., regarding fogging, blood adhesion, protein adsorption, and microalgae attachment, and thus demonstrated its high suitability for treating endoscopic lenses. Finally, a proof-of-concept LIPSS-LIS treatment of endoscope lenses was conducted that confirmed their superior multifunctional response.

Effective cleaning of endoscopic lenses to achieve visual clarity for minimally invasive abdominopelvic surgery: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE

To review the recently available interventions to achieve optimal visual clarity in laparoscopic abdominopelvic surgery compared to conventional cleaning alternatives. Currently, there is no consensus on the most effective method for the cleaning of endoscopic lenses used in minimally invasive abdominopelvic surgery.

METHODS

Literature searching for articles relevant to answering a predefined research question was performed in December 2019 and involved searching of the electronic databases of MEDLINE, the Cochrane Registry, and EMBASE. Basic search terms were derived using the PICO (population, intervention, comparator and outcomes) framework and through a scoping search of literature via MEDLINE. A manual search of Google Scholar and citation screening of eligible studies was also performed to ensure the identification and inclusion of all pertinent studies to address the research question.

RESULTS

Among conventional and readily available methods, the most effective approaches involved heated sterile water, heating of laparoscope lenses, and surfactant solutions, including FRED and Ultra-Stop, while evaluations of all novel devices and methods were more effective than controls, which included lens wiping systems and air and carbon dioxide flow systems. While the former surgical techniques were consistently associated with superior lens cleaning ability and/or defogging capability and subsequent optical clarity of images within the surgical field, no methods conferred any meaningful effects upon other clinically important outcomes, such as operative time, costs, complication rates and length of stay, suggesting that decision making concerning the selection of lens cleaning method/device should suit the preferences of the instrument operator and/or the responsible surgeon.

CONCLUSIONS

We demonstrated that a range of endoscopic lens cleaning methods and devices can be used to achieve sufficient optical clarity of the laparoscopic surgical field through either preventing lenses from fogging and/or facilitating the inter-operative cleaning of fouled lenses. Despite the various methods evaluated in this review, there were no significant differences in complication rates between the intervention and control groups.

Utility of Nasal Access Guides in Endoscopic Endonasal Skull Base Surgery: Assessment of Use during Cadaveric Dissection and Workflow Analysis in Surgery

Background  A nasal access guide (NAG) for endoscopic endonasal approaches (EEAs) to the skull-base has been developed and approved for clinical use but its utility has not been formally investigated. Objective  The study aims to assess the effect of a NAG on endoscopic visualization during cadaveric dissection and to perform a workflow analysis with process-based performance measures in the operating room and their effect on clinical outcomes. Methods  Skull-base course participants were observed during hands-on cadaveric dissection with and without NAG. Instances of endoscope withdrawal for lens cleaning and inadequate visualization due to lens soiling were tabulated. Participants completed a Likert-scale survey examining the NAG utility and provided an overall grading. Surgical workflow and process-based performance on patients undergoing EEA to the skull-base was analyzed. Passage of powered and dissecting instruments, removal of endoscopes for cleaning, and dislodgment or migration of the device were reviewed. Postoperative assessments included mucosal trauma and synechiae formation. Results  Instances of endoscope soiling and manual cleaning were significantly reduced by 40% and 61% with the NAG during cadaveric dissection. The overall grading of the device was 2.75/3. Surgical workflow was observed in 35 patients. Average number of passes of endoscopes, instruments, and powered tools during a 10-minute observation period were 3,17, and 5 during the surgical approach, and 3, 18, and 1 during tumor dissection. Dislodgement of the device occurred in 25.7% and migration of the device in 2.8% of cases. Postoperative synechiae, exposed cartilage or septal perforation was not observed in follow up. Conclusion  NAG can significantly reduce inadequate visualization during EEA to the skull-base and has the potential to reduce instances of nasal trauma. Participants assessed its overall utility as being "excellent."

Effectiveness of oolong tea and simethicone solution for lens cleansing during colonoscopy: A double-blinded randomized study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

water is an imperfect agent for lens cleansing during endoscopy due to its incompetence to clean hydrophobic dirt, whereas amphiphilic surfactants have the potential to overcome the limitation of water. The trial was aimed to evaluate the cleansing effectiveness of 2 typical surfactants (simethicone solution and oolong tea) for colonoscopic lens.

METHODS

Oolong tea (O-), low concentration simethicone solution (S1-), high concentration simethicone solution (S2-) and distilled water (D-) were used as washing solutions for colonoscopic lens. Study I: The tip of the colonoscope was immersed in lard oil in order to simulate the blur, and photographs were taken toward a standard colonoscopy image in-vitro pre- and post- each cleansing procedure. The blurred areas of each image were quantified and compared. Study II: 395 consecutive patients who were due to colonoscopy examination were enrolled and randomized into O-, S2-, D-group. The volume of washing solution used and cleansing level during the examination procedure, adenoma and polyp detected per colonoscopy, insertion time and withdraw time were analyzed.

RESULTS

Study I: There were no differences in 4 groups for the blurred areas on images before lens cleansing. The blurred areas after lens cleansing were significantly smaller in 3 groups (O- 8.47 ± 20.91 vs S1- 13.06 ± 10.71 vs S2- 6.76 ± 8.49 vs D- 38.24 ± 29.69, P < .05) than water. The decline range of blurred areas after lens cleansing in oolong tea, low concentration simethicone solution, high concentration simethicone solution groups were significantly higher than that in distilled water group (O- 87.35 ± 20.81 vs S1- 78.12 ± 19.24 vs S2- 89.57 ± 8.50 vs D- 53.39 ± 28.45, P < .05). Study II: The volume of washing solution used in S2-group was significantly smaller than that in O-group and D-group. The cleansing level of the colonoscopic lens of O-group was significantly superior than that of S2-group and D-group.

CONCLUSIONS

The in-vitro test showed oolong tea and simethicone solution can effectively cleans the colonoscopic lens. The clinical trial demonstrated that oolong tea instead of water is effective to provide better visualization during colonoscopy.Registration: Chictr.org.cn No: ChiCTR1900025606.

Quantitative Assessment of Rectal Washout With Irrigation and Aspiration

Local recurrence of rectal cancer is defined as any evidence of relapse within the small pelvis after surgical resection of the primary tumor. After removal of a rectal tumor, necrotic cellular debris and viable exfoliated cancer cells are present in the rectal lumen; using saline or povidone-iodine solution, many surgeons perform rectal washout beyond an occlusive clamp to remove these exfoliated malignant cells, which may lead to local recurrence. A meta-analysis showed that intraoperative rectal washout at the surgical anastomosis site can reduce the risk of local recurrence after rectal cancer resection. Therefore, intraluminal lavage is useful to prevent local recurrence. Although intraoperative rectal washing is considered to be important, there is probably room for improvement on this method. We described the idea of a new transanal irrigation and aspiration system for small rectal contents. The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of a new rectal washout system using a chemiluminescent imaging system. We attempted to evaluate and compare the washout efficiency between this new system and the conventional irrigation system using a cylindrical rectum model. Our results implied that, at the same volume of solution, the irrigation–aspiration rectal washout system was more effective than the irrigation washout system. This new rectal washout system was easy to use and allowed a good washout. To the best of our knowledge, this was the first report that evaluated the efficacy of a rectal washout system using quantitative data.