Arthur.Hoffman
Senior Consultant at Med. II Horst Schmidt Klinik Wiesbaden, Germany
Title: Multimodal imaging in gastroenterology
Biography
Biography: Arthur.Hoffman
Abstract
Today there is a paradigm shift in modern gastrointestinal endoscopy, whereby the aim of modern endoscopy is to identify premalignant conditions and early neoplastic changes, in order to make a therapeutical impact on their natural history.
Computer chip and endoscopic image enhancement technologies provide opportunities to visualize normal and abnormal tissues within the gastrointestinal tract, supplying clinicians with information that complements conventional white-light endoscopy. This is important due to the fact, that the prognosis of patients with malignancies in the gastrointestinal tract is strictly dependent on early detection of premalignant and malignant lesions. Equipped with this information, endoscopists can obtain today in vivo optical diagnosis of lesion histology at the time of the endoscopic procedure to help to identify subtle mucosal and structural changes that harbour precancerous cells.
Based on that fact also the development of new and effective endoscopic therapies means that neoplastic lesions can now be treated with improved patient outcomes.
Looking on the available imaging modalities, each with implications on cost, training and lesion detection, we describe in this review the scientific rationale behind the major commercially available techniques as well as offering a glimpse at possible future directions.