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Researchers to develop instrument that 'feels' tissue

The Bupa Foundation has awarded a grant of over £200,000 over three years to a study that is seeking to develop an endoscopic instrument for keyhole surgeons that will give surgeons information they can usually only obtain by touch when performing conventional open surgery. If successful, this will dramatically increase the diagnostic value of keyhole surgery.

"During open surgery surgeons are able to touch organs and this can aid their diagnosis because inflamed tissue and tumours feel different to healthy tissue. In keyhole surgery, surgeons do not have this advantage. This project aims to overcome this problem by providing real time information about the sponginess of tissues. Moreover, the newly developed system will quantify this information rather than depending on the subjective touch with surgeon's hand. The Bupa Foundation is very excited to support his project and we look forward to seeing the results," said Dr Andrew Vallance-Owen, governor of the Bupa Foundation.

The research team led by Mr George Hanna from the Department of Surgical Technology and Oncology at Imperial College London will develop the equipment, software and mathematical calculations that will enable the endoscopic instruments to convey three-dimensional, real time information about the touch and mechanical properties of tissues. Once this phase of the project is complete, researchers will conduct laboratory tests before using the equipment in a clinical setting.

"We will develop a computer-controlled system that uses standard endoscopic instruments to provide real time information about the mechanical property of normal, inflamed tissue and tumours in different parts of the body including the stomach, oesophagus, duodenum, small and large bowel, appendix and gall bladder. The information will be collected during both keyhole and conventional open surgery on patients at St Mary's and Harefield Hospitals in London. This kind of knowledge is not currently available for living human tissue," said Mr Hanna.

Researchers will compare data on the mechanical properties of tissues with the clinical findings and pathology. "This will build a bank of knowledge about the nature of normal and diseased tissues and will also test the reliability of the system. Having completed this stage successfully, the system will be used for diagnosis during keyhole surgery," said Mr Hanna.

In addition to the direct benefits to patients, the bank of knowledge will be used to build virtual reality simulations that are based on real data from living human tissues. Surgical trainees will be able to use those systems to carry out virtual operations. "This will significantly improve surgical training and have an impact on clinical safety" added Mr Hanna.