Preface

Should surgeons perform flexible gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy? This is a poignant question that both surgeons and gastroenterologists ask, especially when confronted with implementing endoscopy training requirements for general surgery residents or credentialing a surgeon to work in the GI laboratory. Some gastroenterologists might argue that surgeons do not have the training to perform high-quality endoscopy. Their busy practices are best focused on surgical interventions. GI surgeons counter with the argument that the natural evolution of surgery is to perform procedures with greater precision and less invasion and that GI surgeries are continually being replaced with endoscopic ones. They also argue that surgeons have had a significant role in the history of innovation in endoscopy that continues today and that general surgeons provide the bulk of endoscopic services outside of urban centers.

Source: Techniques in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy - October 1, 2013 Category: Gastroenterology Authors: Brian J. Dunkin, Steven D. Schwaitzberg Source Type: research