National Study Presented at ACG 2008 Confirms New Device Functions Like 'Rear-View Mirror' to Provide Improved View of...( Study evaluates the efficacy of new d...),Health

Study evaluates the efficacy of new device for detecting polyps that can be

missed during colonoscopy

ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- At the American College of Gastroenterology Annual Scientific Meeting in Orlando (ACG 2008), renowned gastroenterologist Douglas K. Rex, MD presented results from a multi-institutional clinical study that evaluated the efficacy of the Third Eye(R) Retroscope(R), a new device that is designed to improve the ability of physicians to detect abnormalities in the colon. The Third Eye Retroscope has been cleared for use in the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as a device to provide retrograde illumination and visualization of the colon.

Dr. Rex, Chancellor's Professor and Professor of Medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine, and Director of Endoscopy at Indiana University Hospital in Indianapolis, presented the study results this afternoon in front of physicians and other industry professionals during the ACG annual conference. The multi-center study evaluated 249 patients at eight sites across the U.S. During the study, patients were examined using a Third Eye Retroscope in combination with a standard colonoscope.

"Our national study indicated that the Third Eye Retroscope, when used in combination with a standard forward-viewing colonoscope, revealed areas that are often hidden from the standard colonoscope," said Dr. Rex. "The device also enabled detection of 13 percent more polyps and 10.9 percent more adenomas than the colonoscope alone. These results are important to doctors and patients because most cases of colon cancer arise from adenomas."

Colorectal cancer is the second greatest cause of cancer death in the U.S. However, most cancers of the lower gastrointestinal (GI) tract can be completely cured if they are detected early. Even more cases can be completely prevented if pre-cancerous adenomas can be removed before they become malignant.