Methods for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Quantification: A Focus on Hands and Fingers Kinematics

Abstract

Gastrointestinal endoscopy is a complex procedure requiring the mastery of several competencies and skills. This procedure is in increasing demand, but there exist important management and ethical issues regarding the training of new endoscopists. Nowadays, this requires the direct involvement of real patients and a high chance of the endoscopists themselves suffering from musculoskeletal conditions. Colonoscopy quantification can be useful for improving these two issues. This paper reviews the literature regarding efforts to quantify gastrointestinal procedures and focuses on the capture of hand and finger kinematics. Current technologies to support the capture of data from hand and finger movements are analyzed and tested, considering smart gloves and vision-based solutions. Manus VR Prime II and Stretch Sense MoCap reveal the main problems with smart gloves related to the adaptation of the gloves to different hand sizes and comfortability. Regarding vision-based solutions, Vero Vicon cameras show the main problem in gastrointestinal procedure scenarios: occlusion. In both cases, calibration and data interoperability are also key issues that limit possible applications. In conclusion, new advances are needed to quantify hand and finger kinematics in an appropriate way to support further developments.

Ergonomic wellness for the trainee in gastrointestinal endoscopy

“…The advancement in sensors, tracking systems, and endoscopic equipment may mark a potential leap towards enhancing the ergonomic safety and efficiency of endoscopic procedures. Central to these advancements are quantification technologies that precisely measure and evaluate the movements of the neck, trunk, legs, fingers, and hands, which are essential for developing strategies to prevent the most at risk areas for ERI [47].…”

“…Sensor-based technology has emerged as an innovation, employing either standalone sensors or those integrated within gloves to monitor joint rotations and movements accurately. The ergonomics of such devices themselves are optimized based on their nonintrusiveness and minimal impact on the endoscopist's procedural actions [47,48].…”

“…Vision-based technology leverages a series of cameras to track the movement of markers within a predefined volume placed as wearable sensors on the body and hands, aiming for high-precision identification of trajectories and positions, and calculation of relevant forces [47,49].…”

“…Despite their promise, the current generation of smart gloves, such as the Manus Prime II VR and MoCap Pro Gloves, face challenges related to comfort. The Manus VR Prime II, for instance, features flexible sensors and inertial measurement units (IMUs) to track a wide range of hand movements with high precision but is housed in a large nylon glove meant to be reusable, which may not be feasible for use in endoscopy [47].…”

“…These systems are crucial for gesture recognition, posture estimation, and the comprehensive sensing and modelling of human hand movements, serving a vital role in human-computer interaction (HCI) and beyond. Their utility in establishing injury risk of postures and hand movements in endoscopy has yet to be determined but is promising [47,50].…”