GI Endoscopy: Thriving on Innovation

Article preview from Medtech Insight - June, 2010

Growth in the gastrointestinal endoscopy products market is being driven by advancements in GI diagnostics and screening technologies and growing adoption of high definition cameras and other enhanced imaging tools designed to improve diagnostic sensitivity and specificity in vivo, decrease the number of unnecessary procedures, and improve patient outcomes. Looking to the future, technological innovation will continue to impact growth in this market as emerging minimally invasive devices help redefine the diagnosis and treatment of GI disorders.

GI Endoscopy: Thriving on Innovation

Article preview from Medtech Insight - June, 2010

In spite of a turbulent economic climate, the medical device market for gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy products continues to thrive. According to statistics from the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), an estimated 20 million endoscopic procedures are performed annually in the US, and the total number of endoscopies have increased three- to four-fold since 1989. Driving this growth is an aging population, increasingly aware of the importance of early intervention and screening, and an increasing prevalence of gastrointestinal disorders, including inflammatory bowel diseases, colon cancer, Barrett's esophagus, stomach cancer, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), diverticular disease, esophageal varices, and chronic liver disease, to name a few. Today, an estimated 60 to 70 million people in the US are affected by GI disorders.

Growth in the market for GI endoscopy products is also being driven by exciting advancements in GI diagnostics and screening technologies and growing adoption of high definition cameras and other enhanced imaging tools designed to improve diagnostic sensitivity and specificity in vivo, decrease the number of unnecessary procedures, and improve patient outcomes. Looking to the future, technological innovation will continue to impact growth in this market as emerging minimally invasive devices help redefine the diagnosis and treatment of GI disorders.

Enhanced Imaging: Is Seeing Believing?

One of the most exciting areas of technology development for gastroenterology is in enhanced imaging modalities. Researchers are continually looking for new ways to improve the accuracy and diagnostic utility of endoscopic screening methods, as standard white-light endoscopy (WLE) and random biopsies are somewhat limited in their ability to detect dysplasia and noninvasive cancers. Recent advances in biomedical optics are fueling new methods of in vivo detection and differentiation and are leading to increased diagnostic accuracy and a trend toward fewer, more targeted biopsies for screening Barrett's esophagus, ulcerative colitis, colorectal cancer, and other GI pathologies. ( Also see "SAGES 2010: Barrett's Esophagus Still a Conundrum for Surgeons, Medtech Insight, May 2010 [2010400043] .)

-By Anne Staylor 

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