Introduction To Endoscopy

An endoscope is a tube equipped with a light source that can be inserted into the body through natural openings or small surgical incisions.

 

The earliest endoscopes were made of rigid tubing and were invented over 100 years ago. Although they were gradually improved, they still failed to achieve widespread use. Later, in the 1950s, endoscopes were made of flexible tubing, allowing them to easily bend in the body's curves. In 1965, Harold Hopkins installed a cylindrical lens on the endoscope, improving the field of vision. Today's endoscopes typically have two fiber optic tubes; light enters the body through one tube, while the doctor observes through the other tube or through a camera. Some endoscopes even have micro-integrated circuitry sensors that feed the observed information back to a computer.

 

Some surgeries can be performed using endoscopes and lasers. The endoscope's optical fibers can deliver a laser beam to burn growths or tumors and seal bleeding blood vessels.