A Single Needle Puncture for Inoperable Patients
A single needle puncture guided by X-ray imaging could soon replace open abdominal surgery for thousands of cancer patients. Israeli medical device startup Phantom GI has secured $5 million in seed funding to develop a minimally invasive system for creating ostomies in patients suffering from malignant bowel obstructions.
Led by CEO Ido Sadan and co-founded by Dr. Eran Shlomovitz and Dr. Eliahu Bekhor, the 2025 startup aims to provide a vital alternative for individuals currently deemed too high-risk for traditional procedures.
Inside the PercStoma Procedure
The company’s flagship PercStoma device bypasses the need for general anesthesia and large abdominal incisions entirely. The technique relies on a single needle puncture guided by X-ray imaging to access the bowel.
Once the connection is established, a proprietary stent is placed between the bowel and the skin. This allows waste to pass directly into a standard stoma bag. Phantom GI is targeting a rapid procedure time of approximately 20 minutes.
Malignant bowel obstruction claims as many as 55,000 lives in the U.S. each year. While conventional surgical ostomies remain the standard, they carry severe risks for the sickest patients and can cost up to $70,000 per procedure.
Dr. Bekhor estimates that more than 100,000 U.S. patients annually could benefit from a less invasive approach. The company’s immediate focus is locking in on the patient subset currently classified as inoperable.
From a 2023 Case Study to Startup Reality
The technology was born out of a clinical case in 2023. Dr. Shlomovitz, now the company’s chief medical officer, treated a patient with a malignant bowel obstruction who was considered ineligible for traditional surgery.
Using commercially available interventional devices under X-ray guidance, Shlomovitz successfully decompressed the patient’s bowel. Following the procedure, the patient reportedly returned to a normal diet and resumed cancer treatment. That exact clinical experience serves as the foundation for the PercStoma system.
Reimagining Ostomy Reversals
Phantom GI is also designing the PercStoma to tackle the complications associated with reversing traditional surgical ostomies. Because conventional reversals require a major follow-up operation under general anesthesia, as many as 50% of eligible patients are unable to undergo the procedure.
The company intends for the PercStoma to be reversible through a rapid, office-based intervention, potentially reducing the physical burden on patients.
The company is currently preparing to initiate its first phase of clinical studies in the United States.
The initial seed round was led by Pitango HealthTech, with additional participation from RAD Biomed and RUNI Ventures. While the startup views PercStoma as a potential platform technology for various ostomy indications, the immediate priority remains establishing the safety and efficacy of the device in clinical trials.
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