Abstract
Slight color changes can be overlooked during fiberoptic endoscopic examination procedures and one possible cause is the diminishing color sensitivety of the eyes of the endoscopist in relation to the time required for the procedure. As an aid to prevent such slight color changes being overlooked we devised a prototype color monitor which triggered an audiosignal when it detected differences in the color of the two halves of the endoscopic image. However, it was found impractical in terms of the noise it caused and the resulting discomfort occasioned the endoscopist. The device was, therefore, modified for use with an endoscopic TV monitor system, such that if more than a preset difference in the color of the two halves of the endoscopic image occurred, a green warning signal appears on the upper right-hand side of the screen. While this device has not yet been applied clinically in gastrofiberscopy procedures, it has been shown to be extremely sensitive in extracorporeal tests. We plan to further refine this instrument and employ it as a supplemental diagnostic aid in gastrofiberscopic examinations.
