Sharmila Anandasabapathy, MD, a gastroenterologist and professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, has co-authored a study on a low-cost microendoscope that has the potential to replace traditional biopsies for esophageal cancer, according to a report from The American Bazaar.
The study included 147 patients and focused on a battery-powered microendoscope developed by bioengineers from Rice University in Houston.
The microendoscope attaches to a traditional endoscope. A 1-millimeter-wide fiber-optic cable transmits images to a fluorescence microscope, and images can be viewed on a tablet, according to the report. The microendoscope has the ability to determine the presence of malignancies, without biopsy.
The study was published in the journal Gastroenterology.