Post written by Marie Kurebayashi, MD, from the Department of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, NTT Medical Center Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.

The video describes the steps involved in making a handmade distal attachment with a transparent tape, and how it can be used for different endoscopic procedures. Distal attachments placed on the endoscope tip improve visualization of the endoscopic field and have been applied for a variety of endoscopic procedures. Although manufactured distal attachments are commercially available, it may be necessary to prepare different types to suit different endoscopes because the distal outer diameters of endoscopes vary widely. In addition, the extra cost may deter endoscopists from using commercially available distal attachments in daily practice.

It was shown in the video that the handmade distal attachment can indeed be cost-effective and useful for a variety of endoscopic procedures encountered on a daily basis.

The tape hood has the following features: it is simple to make, highly cost-effective, and can be applied for all types of endoscopes regardless of their outer diameters. In addition, the length of the tape hood can be modified to suit each operator’s needs. We think that the tape hood can have a positive influence on the endoscopist community worldwide in that it is comparable to the manufactured hood in terms of its functions and can perform endoscopy without any problems.

The tape hood is a tool that can be used with any endoscope, anywhere, anytime, as long as there is a tape, which shows that, with a little cogitation, the cost involved with endoscopy can be reduced while maintaining the same degree of accuracy. We hope this article will help you to use tape hood in your daily clinical practice.

Read the full article online.

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