A HYDRAULIC MULTIPLE INTESTINAL BIOPSY APPARATUS FOR INFANTS

ABSTRACT. Meeuwisse, G. W., Lindberg, T. and Blomberg, M. (Departments of Paediatrics of Lund and Malmö, and the Department of Medical Engineering of the Hospital of Lund, University of Lund, Sweden). A hydraulic multiple intestinal biopsy apparatus for infants. Acta Paediatr Scand, 63: 839, 1974.—A small hydraulic multiple-biopsy instrument (Ø 3.8 mm, length 9 mm) for infants and children has been developed. The small size, the small hole in the capsule (Ø 1.65 mm), the possibility to regulate the vacuum by which mucosa is sucked into the capsule, and the flexibility of the tube make it useful even for small infants. 1674 biopsies have been taken on 393 occasions. The failure rate was low, on six occasions the biopsy procedure failed, but a biopsy was obtained on a second attempt. There was one complication: an intestinal perforation.