H.1 Mechanical disimpaction of stool prior to screening colonoscopies

Colon cancer screening is a current guideline for all adults over the age of 50. One of the most common methods for screening is a colonoscopy. This procedure while relatively simple often requires an arduous preparation night of drinking “prep”. This is a 4 L laxative that works to clean out the colon of stool and allows the gastroenterology (GI) endoscopy team to visualize the colon. Poor prep whether due to poor toleration of the laxative or patients with slow GI motility often leads to poor visualization of the colon and a likely recommendation of repeat colonoscopy in 1 year. 

One current tool used for visualization of the small bowel is a pill camera to see the parts of the small intestine that are hard to reach by endoscopic methods. This eventually goes into the colon by peristalsis and is excreted out. My proposal is for a “pill camera” size motorized sphere that expands after the small intestine to “push” stool through the colon. The pill cameras have the highest chance of getting stuck after the end of the small intestine. So, after this if the “pill camera” sized sphere was inflated it would be able to mechanically disimpact stool as it makes its away towards the rectum and anus. 

The goal of this project is to decrease the amount of prep needed prior to a colonoscopy procedure by mechanically increasing transit time through the colon. This should lead to better tolerance by patients, better visualization by the GI endoscopist, and improved colon cancer diagnostics.