The global duodenoscopes market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.6% from US$270m in 2015 to reach US$616m by 2028, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Duodenoscopes are flexible, lighted tubes that are inserted through the mouth into the duodenum during  endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), a procedure to diagnose and treat problems in the pancreas and bile ducts.

The company’s report: ‘Duodenoscopes – General Surgery Market Analysis and Forecast Model’ reveals that increase in the number of ERCP procedures due to rising pancreatic and bile-duct diseases is the major factor driving the market.

Pratibha Thammanabhatla, Medical Devices Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Although many procedures are performed using duodenoscopes effectively, contamination is the major challenge associated with the currently available devices as these are difficult to clean due to their complex design.”

According to the US Food and Drug Administration, reprocessing of duodenoscopes showed more contamination rates than anticipated in the on-going post-market surveillance studies.

Thammanabhatla adds: “Release of single-use duodenoscopes in the market by Boston Scientific and Ambu in the near future is expected to eliminate the risk of cross contamination and improve hospital workflow as they do not require cleaning or repair.” 

Stringent adherence to manufacturers’ instructions on the maintenance of these devices by healthcare professionals might minimize the risk of contamination to some extent.

Thammanabhatla concludes: “Introducing disposable duodenoscopes, improving the existing design of these devices and developing new technologies and methods to sterilize duodenoscopes might reduce the risk of infections in patients undergoing ERCP procedures and further drive the duodenoscopes market.”