Rapid City Regional Hospital invests in new technology

RAPID CITY, SD – Rapid City Regional Hospital (RCRH) recently invested in new equipment for gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy procedures, the SpyGlass® Direct Visualization System and a Lithotripter. This new equipment enables physicians to diagnose and treat conditions in the liver, gallbladder, pancreas and bile ducts.

The traditional GI endoscopy method is called an ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography). The physician uses an endoscope - a long, flexible, lighted tube – that is inserted through a patient’s mouth and directed through the stomach into the first part of the small intestine – in order to view the entrance to the biliary tract. X-rays may then be taken of the inside of the biliary tract; however, these black and white x-ray images are two-dimensional and often do not provide enough information to obtain a complete diagnosis. Usually the difference between benign and malignant tumor-causing strictures cannot be determined. If the images are inconclusive, the patient may need to return to the hospital for another procedure.

With the single operator SpyGlass® System, the physician has a direct view of a patient’s pancreas and bile ducts. The SpyGlass® System uses a miniature 6,000 pixel fiber optic probe that attaches to a camera head and is inserted through a single-use catheter. This is designed to allow the physician to access and inspect all four areas of the examination and treatment area. As a result, physicians are able to identify stones and strictures (obstructions) and achieve an improved diagnosis for patients in one procedure.

With standard ERCP, there are limitations to removing large stones. Patients with very large stones may require surgery for removal of the stones. Because of the direct visualization of large stones with the SpyGlass® System, stones can be removed with a Lithotriper, a device that delivers shock waves to the stone and breaks it into smaller pieces. The smaller pieces are then able to pass through the body and the patient no longer requires surgical removal.

RCRH is the only facility in western South Dakota to have this unique equipment and physicians trained to use it.

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