The Development History of Medical Endoscopes
Since its birth in the 19th century, medical endoscopes have gradually evolved from a single medical tool to an indispensable medical device in modern medicine. Nowadays, it has been widely used in multiple departments such as general surgery, urology, gastroenterology, respiratory medicine, orthopedics, otolaryngology, gynecology, etc., to assist doctors in accurate diagnosis and treatment.
With the rapid advancement of technology, advanced technologies such as 4K high-definition, 3D stereoscopic, disposable technology, special light imaging, ultra-fine endoscopes, and big data and artificial intelligence are gradually being integrated into the field of endoscopes. These technological innovations not only disrupt the traditional endoscopic industry pattern, but also promote the development of the entire industry towards higher efficiency and lower risk. Looking back at the development history of endoscopy, we can clearly see its four stages of evolution: from early rigid endoscopes, to semi flexible endoscopes, fiber endoscopes, and now electronic endoscopes. At the same time, the product range of endoscopes is becoming increasingly diverse, including soft endoscopes, hard endoscopes, endoscopic diagnostic and therapeutic instruments, minimally invasive surgical instruments and accessories, etc., providing doctors with more diversified treatment options.
01Characteristics and Applications of Hard MirrorsHard mirrors, including laparoscopy, thoracoscopy, hysteroscopy, etc., are indispensable diagnostic and therapeutic tools in the medical field. These hard mirrors work together with supporting equipment such as camera systems, cameras, cold light sources, monitors, and trolleys to provide accurate diagnosis and treatment for various diseases. They are widely used in sterile tissues, organs, or sterile chambers entered through surgical incisions in the human body, such as the abdominal cavity, chest cavity, joint cavity, etc., to assist doctors in exploring the mysteries of diseases.The hard mirror adopts a prism optical system, which makes the imaging quality extremely clear. At the same time, it is equipped with multiple working channels, allowing doctors to observe and operate from multiple perspectives, greatly improving the accuracy of diagnosis and treatment.
02Characteristics and Applications of Soft MirrorsSoft endoscopes, such as gastroscopy, colonoscopy, laryngoscopy, and bronchoscopy, perform in-depth examination, diagnosis, and treatment through the natural cavity of the human body. These soft mirrors utilize optical fiber systems, and their uniqueness lies in the flexible manipulation of the lens by doctors, thereby expanding their application range. Although its imaging effect may be slightly inferior to that of rigid mirrors, soft mirrors play a crucial role in various fields such as gastroenterology, respiratory medicine, otolaryngology, urology, and more. From simple disease screening to complex treatment of achalasia, soft endoscopy has brought timely and accurate diagnosis and treatment to patients, while reducing surgical risks, minimizing trauma, and accelerating postoperative recovery.The current situation and trend of China's endoscope market
03Market growth and global market share
Currently, the domestic endoscope industry in China is experiencing rapid development. The size of China's endoscope market reached 22.5 billion yuan in 2019, and it is expected to surge to 42.3 billion yuan by 2024. According to the report "China Endoscope Market Size and Forecast 2015-2024", the share of China's endoscope market in the global market is continuously expanding. In 2015, China's market share in the global endoscopic equipment market was 12.7%, but by 2019, this proportion had risen to 16.1%. Looking ahead to 2024, it is expected to further increase to 22.7%. In addition, China's huge population base and continuously growing market demand have led to market growth rates far exceeding the global average. Between 2015 and 2019, the compound annual growth rate of the global endoscope market was only 5.4%, while in China it was as high as over 13% during the same period.
04Domestic substitution and policy support
A market share of 14.5% indicates huge market space and high-speed growth opportunities, bringing challenges and hope to domestic endoscope enterprises. However, the current domestic endoscope market is still mainly dominated by multinational corporations. In the field of hard and soft mirrors, companies from Germany, Japan, and the United States are firmly in a leading position. For example, German companies such as Carlsberg and Wolfsburg are outstanding in hard mirrors, while Japanese companies such as Olympus, Fuji, and Pentax occupy a place in soft mirrors. As a representative of American hard mirrors, Stryker also holds a place in this market. Faced with such a competitive landscape, the path of domestic substitution for endoscopes is particularly urgent.
In 2021, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has clearly planned the development direction and breakthrough points of medical equipment in the "Development Plan for Medical Equipment Industry (2021-2025)", which particularly emphasizes the importance of imaging diagnostic equipment such as medical endoscopes. At the same time, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology jointly issued the "Guiding Standards for Government Procurement of Imported Products Audit" (2021 edition), which made specific regulations on the procurement of medical devices, requiring that most medical devices must be purchased domestically. The introduction of these policies undoubtedly has brought tremendous impetus to the development of domestic endoscopes.
New technological trends
05超声内镜的应用
Endoscopic ultrasonography, an innovative digestive examination technique, cleverly integrates endoscopy with ultrasound. Its characteristic is the placement of a miniature high-frequency ultrasound probe at the top of the endoscope. In this way, after inserting into the body cavity, the endoscope can not only directly observe the lesions of the gastrointestinal mucosa, but also use the real-time scanning function under the ultrasound endoscope to deeply analyze the hierarchical structure of the gastrointestinal tract, and even obtain ultrasound images of surrounding adjacent organs. This technology not only improves the diagnostic accuracy of endoscopy, but also provides strong support for treatment, such as assisted polypectomy, mucosal dissection, and endoscopic tunneling technology, further promoting the development of endoscopy and ultrasound in the fields of diagnosis and treatment. In addition, endoscopic ultrasound also has precise puncture and drainage treatment functions, greatly expanding the clinical application scope of endoscopy and compensating for some shortcomings of conventional
06The advantages of disposable endoscopes
Due to the difficulty in thoroughly disinfecting and cleaning traditional reusable endoscopes, residual microorganisms, secretions, and blood may pose a risk of cross infection. Therefore, disposable endoscopes have emerged as a new trend in the development of endoscopic technology. The design of disposable endoscopes can effectively avoid the risk of cross infection, simplify hospital procedures, and improve surgical efficiency.
07Intelligence and AI assisted diagnosis and treatment
With the rapid advancement of technology, especially breakthroughs in the fields of computers, big data, and precision instruments, endoscopic technology is increasingly deeply integrated with other cutting-edge technologies. This innovation not only gave birth to high-performance products such as 3D soft endoscopes, significantly improving doctors' perception of details in internal tissues and organs, but also achieved more accurate diagnosis with the help of AI diagnostic systems. Through computer-aided recognition technology, doctors can improve the sensitivity and specificity of diagnosis while maintaining their own experience, thereby ensuring the accuracy of diagnosis. At the same time, the introduction of robot technology has made endoscopic surgery safer, more accurate, and convenient, effectively reducing the workload of medical personnel.
The Development History of Medical Endoscopes
Since its birth in the 19th century, medical endoscopes have gradually evolved from a single medical tool to an indispensable medical device in modern medicine. Nowadays, it has been widely used in multiple departments such as general surgery, urology, gastroenterology, respiratory medicine, orthopedics, otolaryngology, gynecology, etc., to assist doctors in accurate diagnosis and treatment.
With the rapid advancement of technology, advanced technologies such as 4K high-definition, 3D stereoscopic, disposable technology, special light imaging, ultra-fine endoscopes, and big data and artificial intelligence are gradually being integrated into the field of endoscopes. These technological innovations not only disrupt the traditional endoscopic industry pattern, but also promote the development of the entire industry towards higher efficiency and lower risk. Looking back at the development history of endoscopy, we can clearly see its four stages of evolution: from early rigid endoscopes, to semi flexible endoscopes, fiber endoscopes, and now electronic endoscopes. At the same time, the product range of endoscopes is becoming increasingly diverse, including soft endoscopes, hard endoscopes, endoscopic diagnostic and therapeutic instruments, minimally invasive surgical instruments and accessories, etc., providing doctors with more diversified treatment options.
01Characteristics and Applications of Hard MirrorsHard mirrors, including laparoscopy, thoracoscopy, hysteroscopy, etc., are indispensable diagnostic and therapeutic tools in the medical field. These hard mirrors work together with supporting equipment such as camera systems, cameras, cold light sources, monitors, and trolleys to provide accurate diagnosis and treatment for various diseases. They are widely used in sterile tissues, organs, or sterile chambers entered through surgical incisions in the human body, such as the abdominal cavity, chest cavity, joint cavity, etc., to assist doctors in exploring the mysteries of diseases.The hard mirror adopts a prism optical system, which makes the imaging quality extremely clear. At the same time, it is equipped with multiple working channels, allowing doctors to observe and operate from multiple perspectives, greatly improving the accuracy of diagnosis and treatment.
02Characteristics and Applications of Soft MirrorsSoft endoscopes, such as gastroscopy, colonoscopy, laryngoscopy, and bronchoscopy, perform in-depth examination, diagnosis, and treatment through the natural cavity of the human body. These soft mirrors utilize optical fiber systems, and their uniqueness lies in the flexible manipulation of the lens by doctors, thereby expanding their application range. Although its imaging effect may be slightly inferior to that of rigid mirrors, soft mirrors play a crucial role in various fields such as gastroenterology, respiratory medicine, otolaryngology, urology, and more. From simple disease screening to complex treatment of achalasia, soft endoscopy has brought timely and accurate diagnosis and treatment to patients, while reducing surgical risks, minimizing trauma, and accelerating postoperative recovery.The current situation and trend of China's endoscope market
03Market growth and global market share
Currently, the domestic endoscope industry in China is experiencing rapid development. The size of China's endoscope market reached 22.5 billion yuan in 2019, and it is expected to surge to 42.3 billion yuan by 2024. According to the report "China Endoscope Market Size and Forecast 2015-2024", the share of China's endoscope market in the global market is continuously expanding. In 2015, China's market share in the global endoscopic equipment market was 12.7%, but by 2019, this proportion had risen to 16.1%. Looking ahead to 2024, it is expected to further increase to 22.7%. In addition, China's huge population base and continuously growing market demand have led to market growth rates far exceeding the global average. Between 2015 and 2019, the compound annual growth rate of the global endoscope market was only 5.4%, while in China it was as high as over 13% during the same period.
04Domestic substitution and policy support
A market share of 14.5% indicates huge market space and high-speed growth opportunities, bringing challenges and hope to domestic endoscope enterprises. However, the current domestic endoscope market is still mainly dominated by multinational corporations. In the field of hard and soft mirrors, companies from Germany, Japan, and the United States are firmly in a leading position. For example, German companies such as Carlsberg and Wolfsburg are outstanding in hard mirrors, while Japanese companies such as Olympus, Fuji, and Pentax occupy a place in soft mirrors. As a representative of American hard mirrors, Stryker also holds a place in this market. Faced with such a competitive landscape, the path of domestic substitution for endoscopes is particularly urgent.
In 2021, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has clearly planned the development direction and breakthrough points of medical equipment in the "Development Plan for Medical Equipment Industry (2021-2025)", which particularly emphasizes the importance of imaging diagnostic equipment such as medical endoscopes. At the same time, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology jointly issued the "Guiding Standards for Government Procurement of Imported Products Audit" (2021 edition), which made specific regulations on the procurement of medical devices, requiring that most medical devices must be purchased domestically. The introduction of these policies undoubtedly has brought tremendous impetus to the development of domestic endoscopes.
New technological trends
05超声内镜的应用
Endoscopic ultrasonography, an innovative digestive examination technique, cleverly integrates endoscopy with ultrasound. Its characteristic is the placement of a miniature high-frequency ultrasound probe at the top of the endoscope. In this way, after inserting into the body cavity, the endoscope can not only directly observe the lesions of the gastrointestinal mucosa, but also use the real-time scanning function under the ultrasound endoscope to deeply analyze the hierarchical structure of the gastrointestinal tract, and even obtain ultrasound images of surrounding adjacent organs. This technology not only improves the diagnostic accuracy of endoscopy, but also provides strong support for treatment, such as assisted polypectomy, mucosal dissection, and endoscopic tunneling technology, further promoting the development of endoscopy and ultrasound in the fields of diagnosis and treatment. In addition, endoscopic ultrasound also has precise puncture and drainage treatment functions, greatly expanding the clinical application scope of endoscopy and compensating for some shortcomings of conventional
06The advantages of disposable endoscopes
Due to the difficulty in thoroughly disinfecting and cleaning traditional reusable endoscopes, residual microorganisms, secretions, and blood may pose a risk of cross infection. Therefore, disposable endoscopes have emerged as a new trend in the development of endoscopic technology. The design of disposable endoscopes can effectively avoid the risk of cross infection, simplify hospital procedures, and improve surgical efficiency.
07Intelligence and AI assisted diagnosis and treatment
With the rapid advancement of technology, especially breakthroughs in the fields of computers, big data, and precision instruments, endoscopic technology is increasingly deeply integrated with other cutting-edge technologies. This innovation not only gave birth to high-performance products such as 3D soft endoscopes, significantly improving doctors' perception of details in internal tissues and organs, but also achieved more accurate diagnosis with the help of AI diagnostic systems. Through computer-aided recognition technology, doctors can improve the sensitivity and specificity of diagnosis while maintaining their own experience, thereby ensuring the accuracy of diagnosis. At the same time, the introduction of robot technology has made endoscopic surgery safer, more accurate, and convenient, effectively reducing the workload of medical personnel.
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