Internal medicine

Sigmoid colon

Colonoscopy

Colorectal cancer

Cancer

Engineering

Surgery

Stylet

Tube (container)

Rectum

Medicine

Mechanical engineering

Endoscopy

One of the main causes of difficulty when advancing a colonoscope is recurrent loop formation in the sigmoid colon. Techniques that have been developed to prevent this include the use of abdominal pressure, changing the patient’s position, and the employment of a sliding tube [1]. These methods, however, have some disadvantages, such as the possibility of vagal reflexes, patient discomfort, mucosal injury, and discharge of liquid stool. To circumvent these potential problems, we have devised a new instrument, the “stylet”. Here we report the usefulness of the stylet in colonoscopy.

A Novel “Stylet” Device for Facilitating the Advancement of a Colonoscope