Needle size camera going to revolutionize endoscopy !

It is a technique that could revolutionize endoscopy. Australian researchers have developed a small camera that can slip into a needle. Useful to explore the areas of the body, which are more difficult to access, such as the treatment of breast cancer microscope.

This technique would indeed reduce the number of operations. “We really wanted to create a tool to help surgeons ensure that they removed the entire tumor during the operation," said Robert McLaughlin, professor at the University of Western Australia, Perth.

This miniature camera created by researchers at the University of Perth so far less than a third of a millimeter thick . It captures 3D images. It is currently being tested on human tissue samples. The Professor Christobel Saunders was able to experience this tool at the Royal Perth Hospital. As a surgeon, she specializes in the treatment of breast cancer.

For her, this camera effectively removes all cells: "We can really see the tumor at the microscopic level. It's like an ultrasound but microscopic image, “she says. Is a technology that could be of great interest for the specialists in brain cancer or lung cancer. “If we can understand what happens in the lungs when emphysema develops, for example, well then maybe we can help scientists develop better treatments for these diseases," says Robert McLaughlin. If the tests are successful, then this camera of the size of a needle could become as common as a scalpel for a decade.