MERCY GILBERT MEDICAL CENTER FIRST IN REGION TO PERFORM THIRD EYE RETROSCOPE

Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, a member of Catholic Healthcare West, is the first to utilize the Third Eye Retroscope during colonoscopy in Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. Third Eye Retroscope is a new device that allows doctors to see more of the colon through a reverse view as well as the traditional forward-looking view while performing a colonoscopy.

Colon cancer is America’s third most common cancer and second most deadly. Many lives can be saved by a colonoscopy, which is used for detection of both polyps, small clump of cells that forms on the lining of the colon, and colorectal cancer. It currently is the most accurate exam for such detection and for removing them.

Recent research has shown, however, that some polyps and cancers can be missed during a colonoscopy, especially if they are hidden from the forward view of the colonoscope. This is because the colon has many folds in its inner lining and the areas behind those folds are difficult to see with the colonoscope.  The same problem occurs with fixtures, or sharp turns, in the colon. The Third Eye Retroscope is able to provide a way to visualize these hidden areas.

“It is a great privilege for Mercy Gilbert to be the first medical center in Arizona, and in the region, to use this device while performing routine colonoscopies,” says Tim Bricker, president and CEO of Mercy Gilbert Medical Center. “This advanced procedure will offer patients and our community many benefits by providing doctors with a better visualization of the colon while they are performing the exam.”

“We are thrilled to have our doctors utilize a device that can illuminate blind spots allowing for an improved view of the colon,” said Abner Cruz, perioperative services director at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center. “Utilizing the Third Eye allows for a colonoscopy to be performed in the usual manner with the addition of the new device that will be used throughout the procedure and alongside the colonoscope.”