Dr Kong San Choon, Head and Senior Consultant, Gastroenterology and Hepatology Service, SKH, performed the motorised spiral enteroscopy in Southeast Asia in June this year. This new technique has made it possible for the patient's small intestines to be thoroughly examined in just 30 minutes, a markedly faster procedure timing with greater accuracy. 

Dr Kong shared that balloon assisted endoscopes, which were the initial benchmark for nearly the last 20 years, required coordination between two professionals and can be challenging to operate, resulting procedure times as long as up to 6 hours. The motorized spiral enteroscopy, in contrast, can be operated by one doctor and allows a firmer gripe of the intestinal walls, making the procedure not only faster but more accurate. The deeper examination, shorter procedure time and effective diagnostic and therapeutic abilities that the new technique offers mean better outcomes for patients.

An increase in the number of patients undergoing small intestines enteroscopy in the recent years could be due to higher awareness of small intestines diseases, side-effects caused by other medications affecting the small intestines and improved medical imaging techniques that were able to flag out issues that may potentially be in the small intestines. Dr Kong hopes more can be done to educate the public about the health of the small intestines.