Mayo Study: High Def Scopes Could Cut Colonoscopy Costs

Mayo Clinic is reporting the findings of a study that indicate the use of high definition optical lenses could lead to significant savings for colonoscopy patients.

Mayo says the study found physicians using the lenses during a colonoscopy were able to correctly evaluate whether a polyp found in a patient’s colon was precancerous or benign with an accuracy rate of 96-97 percent.  

Mayo’s researchers say this means the current practise of pathological polyp examination required by national guidelines may not be necessary.

“A colonoscopy is a fairly expensive procedure, and a large portion of the cost is the pathological analysis of polyps that are removed to check whether they are precancerous or benign — a check that determines when a patient needs another colonoscopy,” says the study’s senior investigator and gastroenterologist, Michael Wallace, M.D., MPH.

“We discovered that gastroenterologists using high-definition optical scopes can provide excellent care and diagnoses of polyps without the added step of a pathological examination,” Dr. Wallace says.

The Mayo study is now being used by the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy to review current colonoscopy guidelines to assess whether or when pathological examination of polyps is necessary.