Global Assessments of the Endockscope System: Long-Term Impact of Cyber Endoscopy

Abstract

Introduction: The disproportionate costs of state-of-the-art endoscopic equipment prohibit urologists from performing endoscopy in underserved countries. Given the global prevalence of smartphones, we engineered a $45 alternative endoscope utilizing three-dimensional printed attachments, an 8 × lens, and a 1000-lumen light-emitting diode cordless flashlight (Endockscope System [ES]). Materials and Methods: At the 34th World Congress of Endourology in Cape Town, South Africa (WCE 2016; 4-year group), and at the 39th Congress of the Société Internationale d'Urologie (SIU) in Athens, Greece (SIU 2019; 8-month group), a total of 40 ES kits were distributed free of charge to an international group of urologists. Participants were given instructions and a hands-on demonstration of the device. Urologists given an ES were subsequently asked to complete a survey between June and September 2020 that included questions regarding user satisfaction, comfort, and comparability of the ES to standard endoscopic systems. Results: Urologists from 23 countries received ES kits. Overall, 10 of 22 urologists (10/22; 45%) from the 4-year group and 18 of 18 urologists (18/18; 100%) from the 8-month group completed the survey. The ES device was used by 80% (8/10) and 83% (15/18) of urologists from the 4-year and the 8-month groups, respectively. Of note, the greatest impact of ES usage was among urologists from the most impoverished countries. Of those who used the ES, 44% (4/9) of urologists from the 4-year cohort and 47% (8/17) from the 8-month cohort reported they were able to perform more endoscopic procedures directly because of the ES. Moreover, 57% (4/7) of the 4-year participants and 67% (10/15) of the 8-month participants found the ES equal or superior in quality to their standard endoscopic equipment. Conclusion: The ES provided an effective and inexpensive system that enabled urologists in resource-challenged countries to effectively perform and expand their use of urologic endoscopy.

Keywords: 3D printing; COVID-19; endoscopy; global health; smartphone; telemedicine.