Practical pediatric gastrointestinal endoscopy / edited by George Gershman, Mike Thomson.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"The GI endoscopy market generally is on the rise - due to a combination of new techniques and procedures being developed (i.e. robotic endoscopy), higher levels of obesity worldwide causing more GI problems, colon and GI cancer on the rise, poorer diets in Western countries leading to GI problems, etc. The GI endoscopy market in the US alone is worth approximately $2.5 billion. Colonoscopy is the most common endoscopic procedure. It is estimated that there are approx. 14 million colonoscopies performed in the US alone each year, and 3 million flexible sigmoidoscopies (which only looks at the sigmoid colon, not the whole colon). The gastroenterologist him/herself will perform 85% of all colonoscopy procedures. There are many differences between how the gastroenterologist performs an adult and a pediatric endoscopy. The age of a patient is hugely significant: there are clear differences between the pediatric compared with the adult patient in terms of GI pathology, and the response to the non-physiological conditions induced by the procedure itself, such as esophageal intubation, increased abdominal pressure, gastric distension etc., which can compromise cardio-respiratory state. In addition, the reduced thickness of intestinal wall in infants and young children requires appropriate adjustment in technique"-- Provided by publisher.