Alchemist Hospital launches SpyGlass Cholangioscopy

Chandigarh, June 21, 2022:  Alchemist Hospital, Panchkula has become 1st private hospital in tricity to launch SpyGlass Cholangioscopy which is a complete solution to GI (gastrointestinal) interventions.

Dr Daksh Khurana, senior consultant gastroenterologist at Alchemist Hospital, while interacting with media said that more than one million people worldwide undergo Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) each year to diagnose and treat diseases and conditions of the liver, gallbladder, pancreas and bile ducts.

When X-ray imaging is not sufficient to make a definitive diagnosis or therapeutic intervention requires direct visualization, cholangioscopy or pancreatoscopy may be performed, he added.

Explaining about the Cholangioscopy Dr Daksh said, “Cholangioscopy is the examination of the bile ducts using an endoscope to enable direct visualization of the biliary tree during Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) while pancreatoscopy is the examination of the pancreatic ducts. Direct visualization of the bile and pancreatic ducts during ERCP can help obtain biopsy specimens, lead to the diagnosis of abnormalities, and guide stone therapy”.

Dr Manoj senior consultant gastroenterologist said that SpyGlass DS System enables direct visualization of the pancreatic and bile ducts which is used to evaluate suspected benign and cancerous conditions. The system consists of a fully integrated Spy scope, DS access and delivery catheter, and a single-use scope. This is an ultra-thin scope with a diameter of 10Fr (3.6mm). The integrated digital sensor provides superior imaging, far greater resolution and a 60 percent wider field of view than the first generation system.

Dr Manoj further informed that early detection is critical to improve outcomes in patients suffering from difficult pancreatico-biliary diseases, such as pancreatic cancer. The new Spyglass DS System can be performed as an extension of any ERCP procedure, enabling physicians to diagnose and treat more of their patients effectively and efficiently.

Launched in 2007, the original Spyglass system helped re-establish cholangioscopy and pancreatoscopy as a valuable diagnostic and therapeutic procedure by allowing a single physician to perform the procedure as well as guide devices to examine, diagnose and treat conditions such as large CBD stones(>20mm) and suspected malignancies of the biliary tree and pancreas.