Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The progression from adenoma to cancer is a well known phenomenon. Current clinical practice favors colonoscopy as the preferred modality for colorectal cancer screening. Many novel endoscopic technologies are emerging for the purposes of performing “optical biopsy” to allow real-time histologic diagnosis of polyps. High resolution microendoscopy is a low-cost endoscopic technology that has demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity in differentiating neoplastic and non-neoplastic polyps. With the ability to make real-time conclusions based on the endoscopic appearance of polyps, it is becoming increasingly possible to decrease the rate of unnecessary polypectomies and utilize a “resect and discard” strategy to decrease costs of pathology evaluation. Future directions for this technology include surveillance of premalignant conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease. Moreover, the low cost and relative ease of use of this technology lends itself to widespread applicability.

The high-resolution microendoscope (HRME) is a novel imaging modality that allows real-time epithelial imaging at subcellular resolution. Used in concert with any standard endoscope, this portable, low cost, ‘optical biopsy’ technology has the ability to provide images of cellular morphology during a procedure. This technology has been the subject of a number of studies investigating its use in screening and surveillance of a range of gastrointestinal neoplasia, including esophageal adenocarcinoma(EAC), esophageal squamous cell cancer(ESCC), colorectal neoplasia(CRC) and anal neoplasia. These studies have shown that HRME is a modality that consistently provides high specificity, negative predictive value, and accuracy across different diseases. In addition, they have illustrated that HRME users can be relatively easily trained in a short period of time and that users have demonstrated solid inter-rater reliability. These features make HRME a potential complement to high definition white light imaging, narrow band imaging and other ‘red flag technologies’ in facilitating real-time clinical diagnosis, endoscopic therapy and margin determination. Further clinical validation is needed to determine whether this translates to reduced procedure times, pathology costs, and follow up procedures. Finally, the HRME has a relatively simple design compared to other similar technologies, making it portable, simple to maintain, and low cost. This may allow the HRME device to function in both advanced care settings as well as in places with less resources and specialized support systems. As a whole, the HRME device has shown good performance along with low-cost and portable construction, and its application in different conditions and settings has been promising.

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