Methods for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Quantification: A Focus on Hands and Fingers Kinematics

Area of Science:

• Medical Simulation
• Biomedical Engineering
• Gastroenterology

Background:

• Gastrointestinal endoscopy training poses challenges due to patient involvement and endoscopist musculoskeletal risks.
• Increasing demand for endoscopy necessitates improved training methods and ethical considerations.
• Quantifying procedures, specifically hand and finger kinematics, offers potential solutions for training and safety.

Approach:

• Literature review on quantifying gastrointestinal procedures, focusing on hand and finger movement capture.
• Analysis and testing of current technologies: smart gloves (Manus VR Prime II, Stretch Sense MoCap) and vision-based solutions (Vero Vicon cameras).
• Evaluation of technological limitations including glove fit, comfort, occlusion, calibration, and data interoperability.

Key Points:

• Smart gloves face challenges with adaptability to different hand sizes and user comfort.
• Vision-based systems struggle with occlusion issues in realistic gastrointestinal procedure settings.
• Calibration and data interoperability are critical limitations for both technology types.

Conclusions:

• Current technologies for capturing hand and finger kinematics in endoscopy are insufficient.
• Significant advancements are required to accurately quantify these movements for training purposes.
• Further research is needed to develop robust and reliable kinematic capture systems for endoscopic procedures.