Endoscopy is the examination of internal body cavities using a specialized medical instrument called an endoscope. It is a powerful medical tool used for diagnosis and treatment of human diseases. These instruments can be inserted through natural body orifices (mouth, nose, anus, urethra) to access hollow organs, such as the, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, colon, , and urinary bladder..etc. Depending on the body part, each type of endoscopy has its own special term, such as
❖ laparoscopy (abdomen, uterus, fallopian tube)
❖ laryngoscopy (vocal cords)
❖ bronchoscopy (lungs)
❖ colonoscopy (colon)
❖ arthroscopy (joint)
❖ Gastroscopy (Stomach).
The first endoscopes consisted of crude, rigid tubes that provided only a limited view of easily accessible organs.