High-resolution and high-magnification endoscopes

Video endoscopy is used to visually detect GI mucosal pathology. It permits the endoscopist to identify abnormal tissue and may enable differentiation between various degrees of dysplasia and even malignancy. This distinction often has diagnostic and therapeutic implications for clinical care. The quality of endoscopic visualization involves both resolution and magnification. Video resolution is defined as the ability to optically distinguish 2 closely approximated objects or points and is a function of pixel density (the number of pixels wide times the number of pixels or lines of height). High-resolution imaging improves the ability to discriminate detail, whereas magnification enlarges the image. This report reviews advances in white-light high-resolution and high-magnification endoscopic imaging systems.