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INTRODUCTION: Flexible endoscopy allows diagnostic and therapeutic interventions on the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Simple procedures can be performed endoscopically using currently available tools. More advanced endoscopic surgical interventions are much desired and anticipated, yet they await improvements in instrumentation. METHODS: Presented here is a master-slave robotic system designed for use with flexible endoscopy. The slave is a cable-driven flexible robotic manipulator that can be attached to an endoscope, allowing two-handed endoscopic manipulation with 9-12 degrees of freedom (DOF). RESULTS: Feasibility has been demonstrated in a porcine intragastric model. CONCLUSIONS: Further studies should determine whether this novel device can overcome some of the instrumentation-related challenges that have heretofore limited the development of natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery.
Phee et al. (Sat,) studied this question.