Column 3 From Diagnosis to Treatment

Endoscopes were originally used for observation and diagnosis, but are now also used in combination with other medical tools to perform medical procedures and treatments. Endoscopes are combined with a large variety of medical tools to allow the physician to perform procedures such as grasping, cutting, crushing, and removing diseased tissue; take samples of lesions; and excise polyps while observing a television monitor. There are now as many as 1,000 types of medical tools used in combination with endoscopes.