By Abdellatif Sharaa

KUWAIT: Doctors at Jaber Hospital succeeded in carrying out a digestive system gastrointestinal endoscopy using artificial intelligence to discover tumors; the first of its kind to be performed in Kuwait. Head of the surgery department at Jaber Hospital Dr Suleiman Al-Mazidi said the modern technique used showcases the advanced technological development reached in this field. The system used for the colonoscopy utilizes artificial intelligence to identify polyps in the colon and stomach with high accuracy, he said, adding that artificial intelligence managed 'in extreme accuracy' to discover tumors that could not be seen with the naked eye. He said the department has 19 operation rooms which perform up to 40 major operations per day.

Meanwhile head of the colon and rectum surgery unit at Jaber hospital, associate professor at Kuwait University's' College of Medicine Dr Ahmad Al-Khamees who carried out the colonoscopy said the patient first came for a hemorrhoids diagnoses, but was eventually convinced to have the colonoscopy despite being hesitant at first saying there were no symptoms. "We found a polyp and it was removed," Dr Khamees said. He explained that the manufacturing company released a system called ENDO-AID CADe which uses artificial intelligence during colonoscopy to remove polyps and benign or malignant tumors, as well as adenomas. "The system aims at increasing the rate of discovering benign tumors while carrying out colonoscopy, thanks to the support the technique provides using artificial intelligence," he said.

Senior colon and rectal surgery specialist Dr Bader Humoud Al-Shaaban said that polyps are among the major causes of tumors in the colon and digestive system, adding they increase with advanced age from 55 to 60. "So it was agreed internationally to have a colonoscopy as an early survey of the colon for any person who reaches 45 years of age, and the aim is early detection of the polyps as they can be removed completely before they enlarge and turn into a malignant tumor," he explained.