U.S. Markets for General and Pelvic Endoscopic Surgery Products

Initially, endoscopy was used mainly for diagnostic purposes as a less-invasive alternative to open exploratory surgery in patients with serious diseases. Subsequently, endoscopes with channels through which various types of surgical instruments could be introduced were developed, creating the new field of minimally invasive endoscopic surgery. Greatly changing the practice of general surgery as well as practices within various surgical subspecialties, the field of endoscopic surgery has expanded to encompass a wide variety of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The focus of this report is general and pelvic endoscopy, which includes:

• gynecologic procedures for the treatment of female reproductive tract diseases/disorders such as adhesions, cancer, infertility, and menorrhagia;
• laparoscopic procedures for the treatment of abdominal organ diseases/disorders such as cancer, Crohn’s disease and reflux disease, and gallstones;
• urologic procedures for the treatment of urinary tract disorders such as bladder and kidney stones, cancer, incontinence, and prostate enlargement due to benign prostatic hyperplasia.

The conversion from open surgical procedures to endoscopic procedures has been a continuing trend since the 1960s. Driving endoscopic surgical procedure volumes growth have been factors such as advancements in minimally invasive surgical techniques, the clinical advantages and cost effectiveness of endoscopic surgery versus open surgery, and innovations in computer, electrosurgical, optical, and other surgical device technologies.