Lumendi, a company based in Buckinghamshire, England, won European regulatory approval for its DiLumen Endolumenal Interventional Platform (EIP). The one-time-use device fits over typical endoscopes to provide stability when visualizing, diagnosing, and treating conditions within the large intestine.
It works by inflating two balloons that squeeze against the lumen of the large intestine. One of the balloons is positioned ahead of the distal tip of the endoscope, while the other is located behind the tip. The two are attached to each other via two metal rods, but the endoscope’s tip is still free to move around mostly unimpeded.
The idea for the device is to provide endoscopic stability within a volume that moves too easily for many procedures. Therefore, it may be possible to avoid certain GI surgeries by instead relying on an endoluminal approach.
Lumendi reports that the device, already approved in the U.S., has already been used on over 400 patients and three clinical studies are slated to be published this year evaluating the safety and cost benefits of the technology.
Here’s an animation explaining the workings of the DiLumen system:
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Product page: DiLumen EIP…
Via: Lumendi…