Special Articles

3.　Pediatric endoscopy −The present and the future−

Shoichiro Kamagata
Department of Surgery, Tokyo Metropolitan Kiyose Children’s Hospital

Abstract

　The Society of Japanese Pediatric Endoscopy was founded at 1974, and a meeting is held annually with the participation of pediatric surgeons, pediatricians and adult endoscopists. When endoscopic procedures are performed in children, safe and definitive diagnosis and appropriate treatment are mandatory. But the problems in Japan are 1）the small total volume of endoscopic procedures in each institute, 2）the lack of training systems in pediatric endoscopy and 3）the lack of guidelines for pediatric endoscopy. To solve these problems, cooperation with an expert adult endoscopist designated to perform and supervise procedures is essential. Also, new devices like the capsule endoscope and double-balloon enteroscope may facilitate more precise diagnosis and effective treatment in children.

Keywords：Pediatric, Endoscopy, Children