Anoscopes

An anoscope is a short, rigid speculum used to examine the anal canal and distal rectum. It is inserted with an obturator in place to avoid trauma; the obturator is then withdrawn, leaving a lumen through which the canal wall can be inspected and instruments passed.PatternsThe Hirschman anoscope has a tapered, closed barrel with a bevelled opening — the general-purpose pattern for diagnostic examination. The Ives-Fansler is a slotted design: a section of the barrel is open along its length, which exposes a single quadrant of the canal wall at a time and is the pattern usually chosen for haemorrhoid banding and injection. Bensaude is a two-bladed spreading pattern.Stainless steel instruments are reusable and autoclavable, which is the practical difference from disposable plastic anoscopes in a clinic that runs volume.