Patent ID: 7771349

Claim:
An endoscope comprising: an insertion portion that is to be inserted into a coelom; a treatment instrument elevation support, pivotally provided at a distal end of the insertion portion, that is used to guide a treatment instrument introduced at the distal end; an observation section that obtains an image observed at the distal end, the observation section including a lens; and an identification section that employs the image to determine whether the treatment instrument elevation support has been reclined; wherein the observation section is provided on a side of the treatment instrument elevation support, and wherein the treatment instrument elevation support and the observation section are disposed in such a positional relationship that, when the treatment instrument elevation support is reclined, a part of the treatment instrument elevation support is included in the image obtained by the observation section, and wherein the identification section comprises a marker provided on the part of the treatment instrument elevation support, to determine whether the treatment instrument elevation support has been reclined, such that the marker is captured in the image obtained when the treatment instrument elevation support is reclined, and wherein the endoscope is configured to define an elevation support storage space for storing the treatment instrument elevation support.