
Lead for Interventional Endoscopy: Royal Free Hospital, Interventional Endoscopist, Associate Professor (UCL), @ucl
Royal Free Hospital, London
Joined April 2017
- Tweets708
- Following545
- Followers1.5K
- Likes2.8K
Pinned Tweet
*Video and images shown with full, written informed consent from the patient.
Our first ESD of 2024, performed last week, using our saline-immersion technique (SITE)-facilitated, tri-tunnel variation of the pocket-creation method (PCM). The lesion was a 12 x 9cm laterally spreading tumour involving the ileocaecal valve, caecum and ascending colon*. Dissection speed: 28.3 mm^2/min.
SITE, which we first described in 2016, enhances patient comfort (avoiding the need for deep sedation), obviates the need for any traction (through buoyancy), enhances optical clarity (through elimination of dissection-related smoke, fat micelles, debris and through intrinsic magnification), and enhances visualisation of vessels and bleeding points.
The use of saline (not water) is critical for conductivity. High-effect, forced coagulation enables very effective knife-alone management of vessels and any bleeding, and this, coupled with the use of self-assembling protein matrix gel (Purastat), obviates the need for the use of coagulation forceps. All these factors contribute to increased efficiency, effectiveness and patient comfort.
Histopathology of the specimen confirmed complete (R0) resection and showed that the lesion consisted of a low grade dysplastic lesion without any evidence of invasive malignancy, confirming cure.
ESD is an endoscopic microsurgical technique which affords an en bloc, organ-preserving, minimally invasive cure for such lesions, which unlike piecemeal resection, offers R0 with virtually no risk of recurrence; this latter point eliminates the need for tight surveillance and related patient inconvenience/risk, also reducing cost and environmental impact.
Onwards and upwards for the betterment of minimally invasive care for all our patients!
Edward J. Despott retweeted
🌊 BSG EndoBridge Series (10/15): Underwater Endoscopy
What happens when we remove the air and add water?
💧 Water-aided colonoscopy
💧 Underwater EMR
💧 Saline-immersion ESD
fg.bmj.com/content/17/e1/e11…
Immersion techniques are transforming colorectal endoscopy:
✅ Improved patient comfort
✅ Better mucosal visualisation
✅ Enhanced lesion detection
✅ More efficient resection
✅ Novel approaches to complex ESD
From colonoscope insertion to advanced therapeutic resection, water is no longer just irrigation—it's becoming a key endoscopic tool.
@AEMLondon @Samanta_JayPGI @DharJahnvi among co-authors!
📖 Open Access x 6 months
#BSG2026 #BSGEndoBridge #FrontlineGastroenterology #Endoscopy #Colonoscopy #EMR #ESD #CRCPrevention
@PhilSmithIsBack @OTavabie @dr_aditi_kumar @TrevorTabone @eathar_s @IrenePerezMD @KGananandan @zare_benjamin @medicalreg @dtleiberman @BASLedu @BSGtrainees @WorldGastroOrg @ulstergastro @SEEDendoscopia @EASLedu @AmCollegeGastro @Aegastro @SAGES_updates @WAGE_media @my_UEG @amergastroassn @NASPGHAN @UHSEndoscopy @ESGE_news @amergastroassn @BritSocGastro @ASGEendoscopy @EndoCollabcom @JAG_Endoscopy @SimonMEverett @gastro3570 @drkeithsiau @DrOmerAhmad @Dunnepdj @shraddha_gulati @CardiffGastro @DrBuHayee @poodocnisha @Sharm_Sub
Edward J. Despott retweeted
See you at DDW 2026 – ASGE Clinical Symposium.
📍 Cutting Edge: Mastering the Evolving Art of ESD
We will discuss the latest approaches in ESD with real cases, advanced techniques, and an outstanding faculty.
📅 May 3 | ⏰ 08:00-9:30
Don’t miss it. Add it to your schedule.
@DDWMeeting @ASGEendoscopy @AEMLondon @shaimaa_elkholy @EndoscopyOthman @DennisYangMD @GIE_Journal @my_ueg @ESGE_news @kocuniversity #DDW2026
Edward J. Despott retweeted
Thrilled to be part of the Advanced Endoscopy Masterclass in Malta, invited by @AEMLondon
An excellent platform for innovation, collaboration and education in advanced endoscopy @gasclinicbcn @hospitalclinic @SEEDendoscopia #Endoscopy #Gastroenterology #MedEd #Innovation
Edward J. Despott retweeted
VideoGIE spotlight on the Endoscopedia blog: "Set-up and use of the 'Asclepius tube': a slim drainage tube to facilitate saline-immersion endoscopic submucosal dissection" by Edward J. Despott, Elisabet Maristany Bosch, and Georgios Kalopitas endoscopedia.com/2026/03/31/…
@AEMLondon
Edward J. Despott retweeted
Elisabet Maristany Bosch, MD, et al present the straightforward set-up of the "Asclepius tube" and practical application with 2 novice endoscopists performing endoscopic submucosal dissection of a large rectal lesion. youtu.be/UPtZYytbDnE
#GITwitter
@AEMLondon
Edward J. Despott retweeted
Kosei Hashimoto et al use the continuous low-pressure saline perfusion technique in endoscopic submucosal dissection to safely resect a large circumferential lesion in the remnant rectum after Hartmann's procedure where the mucosa was fragile. youtu.be/nphlKMr1EP8
@AEMLondon
Edward J. Despott retweeted
VideoGIE Editor's Choice: "Set-up and use of the 'Asclepius tube': a slim drainage tube to facilitate saline-immersion endoscopic submucosal dissection" by Elisabet Maristany Bosch et al. videogie.org/article/S2468-4…
#GITwitter
@AEMLondon
Edward J. Despott retweeted
VideoGIE on the blog: "The saline-immersion/irrigation technique for endoscopic submucosal dissection of a challenging colonic lesion using double-balloon endoscopy and novel type of advanced imaging" by Despott, Maristany Bosch, and Kalopitas endoscopedia.com/2026/03/13/…
@AEMLondon
Edward J. Despott retweeted
This article by Elisabet Maristany Bosch et al addresses "The saline-immersion/irrigation technique for endoscopic submucosal dissection of a challenging colonic lesion using double-balloon endoscopy and a novel type of advanced imaging." videogie.org/article/S2468-4…
@AEMLondon
Edward J. Despott retweeted
In a 🇬🇧 study, Saline-Immersion/Irrigation Technique (SITE) + Pocket-Creation Method for colorectal ESD (n=181) showed:
✅ En bloc resection
🎯 R0 92.3% | Curative 90.6%
⏱️ Median time 120 min
⚠️ AEs only 4.4%
😴 93% done under conscious sedation
🔗 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/…


















