Market Overview

Anoscope is a small tubular instrument that is inserted into anus for digital rectal examination (DRE). Disposable anoscopes are used in order to examine the abnormal anus conditions such as hemorrhoids, fissures, anal fistulae, abscesses, inflammation of anal or rectal lining, perianal/rectal tumors, or anal/rectal cancer etc.

Anoscope is generally 3-4 inch long with a width of average large bowel diameter, however, most of the disposable anospcopes come in variable lengths ranging from 3 inches to 7 inches. Disposable anoscopes are also used to obtained samples for cytological screening tests in conditions such as anal squamous lesions, HIV infection, etc. Over the past decade, several significant innovations are seen in the global disposable anoscope market, which is expected to fuel the market growth.

For instance, an introduction of medical industry's first ever disposable anoscope with built in light source led to huge demand for these devices. An in-built light source in disposable anoscope eliminated the requirement for optical illumination during anoscopy. Moreover, use of disposable devices is increasing due to increasing incidence of hospital acquired infections.

According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every year there are approximately 4.5 hospital infections for every 100 patients admitted to hospitals and hospital infections lead to approximately 100,000 deaths per year. Disposable anoscopes thus provide means of patient safety. Some of the popular brands in disposable anoscope market are Hirschman Anoscope (Sklar Surgical Instruments), GMJ series (Waston Medical), UniSpec (Heine), Sani-Scope (CooperSurgical), KleenSpec (Jaken Medical Inc.), etc. among others.

Reusable anoscopes are costly and require maintenance due to increased risk of cross-contamination if not cleaned properly after use. These risks can be eliminated with the use of disposable anoscope. Hence, disposable anoscope or single use anoscope is preferred over reusable anoscope due to several factors such as low cost, patient comfort, safety from contamination, etc.

Majority of office based physicians and hospitals are thus switching from reusable anoscope to entirely single use disposable anoscopes. According to a survey conducted by OBP Corporation – a leading provider of disposable anoscope with integrated LED light source, 75% of physicians performing rectal/anal endoscopic procedures have switched to disposable anoscope in last few years. These are the primary factors expected to drive the growth of global disposable anoscope market over the forecast period.

The global market for disposable anoscope is segmented on basis of product type, application, end user, and geography:

by Product Type	Disposable Anoscope with Integrated Light Source Fiber Optic LED light Disposable Anoscope without Light Source
by Application	Anal/rectal Cancer Fissures Fistulas Anal/rectal Abscesses Others (inflammation, perianal tumors etc.)
by End User	Clinics Hospitals Diagnostic Centers

Among product type, disposable anoscope with an integrated light source is expected to dominate the global market. Among all three end users of disposable anoscopes, hospital segment is expected to experience the highest growth over the forecast period due to the high patient pool.

On the basis of geography, global disposable anoscope market is segmented into five key regions viz. North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. North America is expected to dominate the global market for disposable anoscope due to a high number of anoscopy procedures performed in the U.S. The region is expected to witness robust growth due to growing awareness towards hospital acquired infections.

For instance, approximately 85% of hospital based physicians performing anoscopy in the U.S. experienced the decrease in infections or cross-contamination after they switched to disposable anoscope. Western Europe is expected to be the second largest consumer of disposable anoscopes. Asia Pacific disposable anoscope market is expected to witness a high growth due to emerging local providers of disposable anoscopes from China and Japan.

Some of the key players present in global disposable anoscope market are Welch Allyn, Inc., THD S.p.A, Waston Medical Appliance Co. Ltd., Sklar Surgical Instruments, HEINE Optotechnik, CooperSurgical Inc., Jaken Medical Inc., OBP Corporation etc. among others. OBP Corporation was the first company to offer disposable anoscope with the LED light source.