H.13 Pickin’ Up Polyps: Increasing Colon Polyp Retrieval Rates

1. Colonoscopies are currently the gold standard for colorectal cancer screening and detection, and roughly 15 million colonoscopies occur annually.1 Colorectal cancer incidence has increased over the last few decades, especially among younger adults. For this reason, it is critical that polyps are successfully identified, resected, and retrieved during colonoscopy. After polyp resection, polyps must be retrieved using various retrieval devices, depending on size. These include snare, retrieval net, grasping forceps, and suction with retrieval trap. Although small polyps may be resected and retrieved using the same snare with suction, a retrieval trap is then necessary to attach to collect the polyps that are suctioned. Larger polyps or polyps with multiple specimens typically require retrieval with an alternative device, such as a retrieval net. These specimens are then sent to pathology for tissue analysis. In the time between polyp resection and subsequent polyp retrieval, two single-center retrospective studies estimated that between about 5 to 7% of polyps were lost.2-3 Lost polyps may affect recommended time intervals for future screening colonoscopies. Therefore, it would be beneficial for a single colonoscope attachment that is able to resect and retrieve polyps simultaneously.

    

   Currently, there are no available technologies that include built-in retrieval traps following snare resection and suction. There are also no available technologies that combine snare resection for polypectomy with built-in expandible retrieval nets in a single device. Current approaches to polyp retrieval require the use and exchange of multiple attachments, including suction, retrieval trap and retrieval net as listed above, to successfully resect and retrieve colon polyps.

    

   The goal of this project is to design a device that can resect and retrieve colon polyps using one single attachment that fits current colonoscope measurements. This tool could improve the efficiency of polyp removal and retrieval while ensuring that all tissue specimens are available to send to pathology.