The laser micro endoscopy has a tiny blue light. It is a small but powerful microscope for navigating the intestines.
With just a touch of the probe anywhere on the intestine wall, Dr. Razvan Arsenescu can magnify tissue a thousand times, spotting even the earliest abnormal cells.
The Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center is one of the first hospitals in the country to use it. Before this laser, doctors had to depend on taking random tissue samples. He says it was like stumbling around a huge dark room trying to find a needle.
"Whereas now, if I find something, I can act on the spot," said Razvan I. Arsenescu, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Director, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Center, Division of Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
Good news for Ben Buss, whose Crohn's disease has meant a new diet, medication, six colonoscopies in two years, and a surgery to remove part of his small intestine.
Ben had a recent probe that showed some suspicious cells. Without the new laser these could have been missed.
"Anytime you're able to diagnose earlier things that might be particularly life-threatening like cancer, that's a great thing," said Ben Buss.
It's a small light making a big difference in a deadly disease.
Doctors hope that eventually the laser micro endoscopy will be used to guide treatment not only for IBD sufferers, but also patients with lung, bladder, and gynecologic diseases.
If you would like more information, please contact:
Becky Crader
Coordinator Administration
OSU Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Center
(614) 366-4925
Rebecca.Crader@osumc.edu
