Mayo Clinic researchers have built a colonoscopy probe system that can tell whether or not cells in a polyp are benign (not precancerous) without needing to remove the polyp for biopsy.

The probe includes a tiny imaging tool, 1/16th of an inch in diameter, that can be attached to endoscopes used during colonoscopies. When a suspicious polyp is seen, the doctor can magnify the view by 1,000 times (enough to see single red blood cells) to look for precancerous symptoms in the polyp’s cells.

Researchers testing this system were correct 98 percent of the time in flagging polyps that were benign, which would then not need to be removed for biopsy. The Mayo researchers believe they can push the accuracy close to 100 percent with more research.

Currently, half of all polyps removed during colonoscopy procedures are benign.