Editorial
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Endosc. Dec 25, 2015; 7(19): 1306-1310
Published online Dec 25, 2015. doi: 10.4253/wjge.v7.i19.1306
Utilisation of magnets to enhance gastrointestinal endoscopy
Imdadur Rahman, Praful Patel, Philip Boger, Mike Thomson, Nadeem Ahmad Afzal
Imdadur Rahman, Praful Patel, Philip Boger, Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital Southampton, Southampton, Hampshire SO16 6YD, United Kingdom
Mike Thomson, Department of Paediatric Gastroenterology, the Children’s Hospital Sheffield, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S10 2TH, United Kingdom
Nadeem Ahmad Afzal, Department of Paediatrics, University Hospital Southampton, Southampton, Hampshire SO16 6YD, United Kingdom
Author contributions: All authors have contributed to the manuscript; Rahman I and Patel P were involved in conception of the editorial, literature review, writing and revising of paper for final submission; Boger P, Thomson M and Afzal NA were involved in writing and revising of paper for final submission.
Conflict-of-interest statement: No conflict of interest to report.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Dr. Nadeem Ahmad Afzal, MBBS, MRCP, MRCPCH, MD, Consultant in Paediatric Gastroenterology, Department of Paediatrics, University Hospital Southampton, Room EG244, G Floor, Mailpoint 44, Tremona Road, Southampton, Hampshire SO16 6YD, United Kingdom. n.afzal@soton.ac.uk
Telephone: +44-23-81208711 Fax: +44-23-81204750
Received: June 2, 2015
Peer-review started: June 3, 2015
First decision: August 8, 2015
Revised: October 16, 2015
Accepted: November 13, 2015
Article in press: November 17, 2015
Published online: December 25, 2015
Abstract

Methods to assess, access and treat pathology within the gastrointestinal tract continue to evolve with video endoscopy replacing radiology as the gold standard. Whilst endoscope technology develops further with the advent of newer higher resolution chips, an array of adjuncts has been developed to enhance endoscopy in other ways; most notable is the use of magnets. Magnets are utilised in many areas, ranging from endoscopic training, lesion resection, aiding manoeuvrability of capsule endoscopes, to assisting in easy placement of tubes for nutritional feeding. Some of these are still at an experimental stage, whilst others are being increasingly incorporated in our everyday practice.

Keywords: Magnet, Endoscopy, Training, Therapeutic, Capsule, Nutrition, Child, Paediatric, Colonoscopy, Imaging

Core tip: Magnetic technology is being incorporated into many aspects of endoscopy from diagnostic procedures to assisting in therapeutic interventions. Here we summarise some of the more exciting innovations and the potential future roles magnets will play in this field.