However, these early investigators had only symptoms or surgery to rely on for diagnostic aids. In 1775, Bozzini documented the use of a rigid sigmoidoscope. More than a hundred years later Kussmaul visualized the stomach with a rigid gastroscope in 1932. During the last 40 years, tremendous advances in fiberoptic technology allowed the development of more versatile instruments that made it possible for healthcare providers to make accurate diagnoses of stomach and colon disease without surgery. However, both diagnosticians and their patients depend on nurses to prepare patients properly and to guide them safely through these procedures.
Endoscopes are either rigid or flexible.
A typical flexible fiberoptic sigmoidoscope is 60 centimeters long and used for examining the rectum and sigmoid and descending colon. Common parts of all endoscopes include an optic system for light transmission and an image, an umbilical cord, control head, and flexible insertion tube. The control head is for maneuvering up, down, and left and right and contains values that regulate air, water, and suction. This procedure allows for the diagnosis, treatment, and documentation of abnormalities through the use of biopsy, brush cytology, polypectomy, electrocautery, laser therapy, thermal coagulation, and photography. The provider can also treat esophageal varices through dilatation and sclerosis, remove foreign bodies, and insert esophageal prostheses, plastic stents that support and open the esophagus.