Snare devices with thinner loop wire may provide higher performance for cold snare polypectomy in an experimental...

Background and study aims  Snare devices play an important role in treatment of intestinal polyps. However, there are no objective measurements for the characteristics of the various types of snare devices. Materials and methods  Seven types of snare devices from four manufacturers were evaluated based on original measurements. The evaluated factors were stiffness, cutting quality, and change in force required for cutting depending on sheath shape. The latter two factors were evaluated by measuring the force required to cut 20 % gelatin cylinders, which simulated intestinal polyps. The cutting sharpness was evaluated by observing the sectional surface of cut gelatin cylinders using a stereomicroscope. The correlations between these measurements and characteristics of the snare devices were investigated. Results  A strong positive correlation, with an R ² value of 0.863, was shown between the force required to cut gelatin cylinders and loop wire diameter. Loop wire diameter also had a strong correlation, with an R ² value of 0.7997, with the change in force required for cutting gelatin cylinders depending on sheath shape. No correlations were detected between loop stiffness and characteristics of snare devices. The edge-enhanced image revealed that the rougher surfaces of the gelatin cylinders were cut by snares with a thicker diameter. Conclusions  Thinner loop wire may provide higher performance in cold snare polypectomy in an experimental model.