An endoscope was used to examine patients

The Independent Review of Endoscopes, which began on Thursday, follows a recent controversy over the contamination of the specialist medical equipment.

Endoscopes are used to detect problems in the throat and stomach, and have to be sterilised after each use.

In June, a health scare at Lagan Valley hospital in Lisburn prompted an audit of all such equipment, after it emerged more than 400 patients had been treated there with an endoscope which had not been properly sterilised.

Following the audit, the Department of Health said that 17 gastroscopes out of more than 1,000 used in Northern Ireland had "queries over their decontamination process".

It announced that more 3,000 patients would be told equipment used on them at four hospitals in the province may not have been properly disinfected.

'Lessons'

A spokesperson for the department said on Thursday: "It is important that we learn lessons from the recent audit of endoscopes.

"The terms of reference agreed for the review will ensure a thorough examination of the complex issues and problems uncovered by the audit."

The review, being chaired by Dame Deirdre Hine, will examine a number of factors, including training and decontamination procedures.

Experts in infection research, gastroentology and endoscopy are among those carrying out the review.

Dame Deirdre said the review would be "very thorough".

"One purpose of the review is to establish what happened and why, and the other purpose, which is possibly the most important part, is to make recommendations on how such a situation could be prevented in the future," she said.