[FLEXIBLE ENDOSCOPY IN THE HANDS OF THE SURGEON - THE ISRAELI SURGEON'S POINT OF VIEW].

INTRODUCTION: The flexible endoscope was developed over 50 years ago as a diagnostic tool for the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Since then, many therapeutic interventions were developed using the endoscope, mostly by surgeons. In the past decade, following technological developments and improvements made in light sources and video, more advanced procedures were developed, and the flexible endoscope is slowly becoming a powerful surgical tool that enables performing advanced procedures that replace traditional surgery, such as intra-operative endoscopy for exact localization of pathologies, active guidance of the surgical acts during surgery, treatment of common diseases of the GI tract and interventions to treat post-operative complications. The use of the flexible endoscope by surgeons varies between regions. Whereas it is a mandatory part of surgical residency in North America, Australia and parts of Asia, in other parts of the world, including Israel, flexible endoscopy is not accessible to surgeons. In this review we chart the reasons for this phenomenon and define the needs for change so that flexible endoscopy will become a common surgical tool in Israel.