TY  - JOUR
A1  - Sudarevic, Boban
A1  - Troya, Joel
A1  - Fuchs, Karl-Hermann
A1  - Hann, Alexander
A1  - Vereczkei, Andras
A1  - Meining, Alexander
T1  - Design and development of a flexible 3D-printed endoscopic grasping instrument
JF  - Applied Sciences
N2  - (1) Background: Interventional endoscopic procedures are growing more popular, requiring innovative instruments and novel techniques. Three-dimensional printing has demonstrated great potential for the rapid development of prototypes that can be used for the early assessment of various concepts. In this work, we present the development of a flexible endoscopic instrument and explore its potential benefits. (2) Methods: The properties of the instrument, such as its maneuverability, flexibility, and bending force, were evaluated in a series of bench tests. Additionally, the effectiveness of the instrument was evaluated in an ex vivo porcine model by medical experts, who graded its properties and performance. Furthermore, the time necessary to complete various interventional endoscopic tasks was recorded. (3) Results: The instrument achieved bending angles of ±216° while achieving a bending force of 7.85 (±0.53) Newtons. The time needed to reach the operating region was 120 s median, while it took 70 s median to insert an object in a cavity. Furthermore, it took 220 s median to insert the instrument and remove an object from the cavity. (4) Conclusions: This study presents the development of a flexible endoscopic instrument using three-dimensional printing technology and its evaluation. The instrument demonstrated high bending angles and forces, and superior properties compared to the current state of the art. Furthermore, it was able to complete various interventional endoscopic tasks in minimal time, thus potentially leading to the improved safety and effectiveness of interventional endoscopic procedures in the future.
KW  - endoscopy
KW  - endoscopic intervention
KW  - 3D printing
KW  - endoscopic instruments
KW  - minimally invasive surgery
KW  - rapid prototyping
Y1  - 2023
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-319186
SN  - 2076-3417
VL  - 13
IS  - 9
ER  -