# Single viewpoint panoramic imaging technology for colonoscopy

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA · 2024 · $164,680

## Abstract

Abstract
Colon cancer is a leading cause of cancer death in the United States and worldwide. Colonoscopy is the
preferred screening method at an estimated annual cost of about $24 billion in the US. Unfortunately, many
lesions are missed because they can remain hidden from view behind folds and flexures of the colon. Current
methods of increasing the field of view are ineffective and some are very expensive, preventing the adoption of
these methods into clinical practice.
In this proposal, we propose to develop a single viewpoint panoramic imaging technology which can provide
360-degree side-view of the colon. The proposed panoramic imaging system consists of an array of imaging
systems which share the same viewpoint, addressing the key barrier in reconstructing the panoramic image from
multiple imaging systems. We will develop a unique monolithic opto-mechanical design to integrate all
subsystems precisely without active alignment. The proposed single viewpoint panoramic imaging system can
be either integrated to the new colonoscope so that the colonoscope will have standard forward view and 360-
degree panoramic side-view, or built as a snap-on attachment for the current commercial colonoscopes to
provide 360-degree panoramic side-view.
To demonstrate the imaging capability of the proposed single viewpoint panoramic system, we will first develop
and characterize a single viewpoint panoramic attachment for the standard colonoscope, and then evaluate the
performance in detecting polyps and compare to a standard colonoscope.
The proposed single viewpoint panoramic imaging system will maximize the detection of polyps and substantially
reduce the incidence of colon cancer. It will benefit the patients and society in five-fold: reducing incidence of
colon cancer, reducing the chance of ‘interval’ cancer, decreasing overall morbidity and mortality, increasing the
interval between colonoscopies, and reducing the economic burden of this disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10756524
- **Project number:** 5R21CA277667-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
- **Principal Investigator:** Rongguang Liang
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $164,680
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-01-01 → 2025-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10756524

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10756524, Single viewpoint panoramic imaging technology for colonoscopy (5R21CA277667-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10756524. Licensed CC0.

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