Endoskopie zwischen Chirurgie und Gastroenterologie – aus der Sicht der Chirurgischen Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Endoskopie und Sonographie (CAES)

Endoscopy between Surgery and Gastroenterology – the Point of View of the Chirurgische Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Endoskopie und Sonographie (CAES) Flexible endoscopy is an important part of surgery. Not only diagnostic investigation, but especially operative endoscopy needs surgical competence. This has been proven in several centers. In the future the status of surgical endoscopy will increase. Already today, conventional surgery has been replaced more and more by minimal invasive procedures. This evolution probably will continue. The combination of flexible endoscopy with laparoscopy and sonography will be routinely introduced into daily surgical work. At the same time cooperation with medical gastroenterologists is intensified. A recently realized agreement of the German Society for Digestive and Metabolic Diseases and the German Society for Visceral Surgery confirms the efforts to work together in this field. The goal is to optimize endoscopic performance. Patient''s care, research, and teaching can be synergistically improved. Conditions for successful consensual work are the acceptance of each others competence, the support of activities for actual education programs and the development of the agreement, depending on further necessities and progress. Besides that, specifically related research in intraluminal endoscopy will be continued by surgeons and medical gastroenterologists.