Endoscopy Technicians

Early physicians were interested in examining organs and other internal parts of the body but methods for doing so without harming and causing pain to patients had not yet been developed. The endoscopic technique was developed in the mid-1800s by French physician Antonin Jean Desormeaux. He is considered by many to be the "father of endoscopy" because he was the first to use an endoscope, a new instrument at the time, to successfully operate on a living patient. Desmeraux's improved on previously created endoscopes by improving the light source and lens. This early endoscope was used for examining body cavities and diagnosing diseases.

Doctors today conduct endoscopic procedures to view internal organs and vessels and diagnose and treat medical conditions. The endoscope is a flexible tube that has a camera at the end, which allows doctors to see images of organs and vessels on their computers. During the endoscopy, they may operate on or remove a small sample of tissue that will be sent to a laboratory for biopsy.

There are many different types of endoscopies. The following types are listed by the American Cancer Society: arthroscopy, which examines joints; bronchoscopy examines lungs; colonoscopy examines the colon; cytoscopy examines the bladder; enteroscopy examines the small intestine; hysteroscopy examines the uterus; laparoscopy examines the abdominal or pelvic area; laryngoscopy examines the larynx; mediastinoscopy examines the area between lungs; upper gastrointestinal endoscopy examines the upper intestinal tract and esophagus; and ureteroscopy examines the ureter.