For better endoscopic practice and education

Looking back on the history in gastrointestinal endoscopy, Professor Sakita reported how to learn and perform gastrocamera photography in 1959. With the advent of a gastrocamera with a fiberscope, it became possible for the endoscopist to actually observe and take pictures. Furthermore, with the development of electronic scopes, the condition in the stomach, which was previously only visible to the endoscopist, can now be viewed simultaneously by multiple doctors on a monitor. When I started endoscopy training in 2000, the imaging was still a film, thus we had to perform upper gastrointestinal screening photography in 20 frames. Based on the developed film, we held a photo conference every week to see if there were any parts not imaged or overlooked. With the widespread use of image filing systems based on large-scale electronic image management, there is no upper limit of the number of captured images, and it has become customary to attach images to endoscopic reports. Currently, it is possible to display not only all images of one examination but also past examination images of the patient on a monitor, which is useful not only for treatment policy decisions, but also for confirmation and education of precancerous lesions and easily overlooked parts. The situation for endoscopic education would dramatically change if artificial intelligence is introduced into daily clinical practice. Together with virtual reality, education and training for endoscopic diagnosis and treatment would become more efficient.