Case Histories of Significant Medical Advances: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

Abstract

We describe how endoscopy transformed the diagnosis of ulcers, cancerous polyps and other diseases of the alimentary canal and enabled “minimally invasive” surgeries to treat such diseases. Specifically, we chronicle how: 1) flexible glass fiber instruments in the 1950s and 1960s; 2) new diagnostic techniques and minimally invasive endoscopic surgeries in the 1970s and early 1980s 3) digitization and miniaturization through the end of the 20th century. A concluding section summarizes the competitive situation of the equipment producers in 2000.