U.S. Markets for Specialty Endoscopic Surgery Products

Endoscopic surgery is a minimally invasive alternative to open surgery in which the targeted surgical site is accessed either through a natural body orifice or an access port(s) created by the surgeon. In endoscopic surgery, the surgeon abandons a direct, open view of the surgical site for images obtained by an endoscope.

Initially, endoscopy was used for diagnostic purposes as an alternative to open exploratory procedures in patients with serious diseases/disorders. Surgical endoscopes were developed later that allowed various instruments to be introduced through a channel in the device, which has resulted in reduced patient trauma and recovery times.

Over the past several decades, a revolutionary transition has occurred among many surgical procedures that has taken them from an invasive open approach to minimally invasive/endoscopic methods due to advances in medical technology and surgical techniques. The adoption of endoscopy for many procedures has greatly benefited patients, as it reduces pain, recovery time, and scarring as well as hospital costs. The emergence of small-incision and incisionless procedures has resulted in the availability of a wide selection of next-generation access systems, endoscopes/ laparoscopes, hand instruments, robotic surgical systems, and other related devices and instruments.

The following sections provide a general overview of specialty endoscopy and its associated products, as defined by the scope of this report. Selected specialty endoscopic technologies/products, their suppliers, and markets are discussed further in the chapters of this report.