Endoscope

An endoscope is a medical instrument used for the direct visual examination of many parts of the body, but usually the digestive tract. Unlike other imaging methods, the endoscope provides direct visual observation of an organ. However, it is far more invasive than other examination methods and poses the risk of physical damage to an organ.
The endoscope has revolutionized many different types of surgery by allowing the surgeon to enter different parts of the body through a small series of incisions rather than a single large incision. This makes the procedures safter and speeds recovery times. For example, an open incision cholecystectomy requires a hospital stay of about one week and an additional three weeks at home. An endoscopic cholecystectomy allows the patient to be released the day of surgery and spend 1–2 weeks recovering at home.
Endoscopy at Wikipedia
Category:Medical procedures