Those tiny bumps you see on your screen are gallbladder stones inside of a bile duct. The pictures, courtesy of Boston Scientific, are possible thanks to the SpyGlass Direct Visualization System.

"It's the best visualization we've ever had inside the common bile duct," says Gastroenterologist Dr. Albert Ross.

Sparrow Hospital began using the SpyGlass System in December. It's one of only three hospitals in the state with the technology. Dr. Ross says this is the first endoscopy procedure that can successfully get inside of a bile duct with a camera. He says older systems were often cumbersome and an internal view of a bile duct wasn't possible.

"If you found something, maybe from a blockage from a tumor, you couldn't do a directed biopsy, because you couldn't see inside the bile duct where you were going."

"Now it's one user, and you have four way steering to articulate the scope up, down, left, right," explains Ryan Blasko with medical manufacturer Boston Scientific.

SpyGlass is also the first system that doesn't require two doctors. It's used to diagnose bile duct blockages from stones or tumors. Blasko points out that doctors now have an irrigation system right at their feet. Whereas before, they had to use a giant handheld syringe.

"What that does is it clears out all the mucus, residual stone debris, whatever, and then he can irrigate at the same time."

SpyGlass works by threading this tiny wire-like camera down a regular endoscope. It's then inserted into a patient's throat. Tiny forceps can collect a biopsy sample, if necessary, and the procedure takes less than an hour to perform.

"When you can see exactly what you're looking at in the bile duct, it makes it easier to direct your therapy," Dr. Ross says.

Sparrow is in a group of a little more than 100 hospitals in the country using the SpyGlass System.