Breakthroughs and Innovations of Medicine

Dr. Hideaki Kawabata

Department of Gastroenterology, Kyoto Okamoto Memorial Hospital, Japan

*Correspondence to: Dr. Hideaki Kawabata, Department of Gastroenterology, Kyoto Okamoto Memorial Hospital, Japan.

Copyright © 2018 Dr. Hideaki Kawabata. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

The recent innovations in medical science and care in various fields are both surprising and remarkable. In the clinical setting of our field, gastroenterology, we have experienced uncountable, amazing breakthroughs for several decades, which have brought great benefit to numerous patients, including the development and application of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS), the discovery of Helicobacter pylori and the elucidation of its relationship to various diseases, endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for early digestive cancers, direct-acting antivirals for hepatitis C, and the development of chemotherapeutic agents to treat malignancies such as molecular targeted drugs. Thus, we have to keep our eyes open for new information and provide the latest, optimum care for patients.

The process in the progress of medical care is like the growth of a plant, which sprouts from a seed, spreads its branches, shows luxuriant growth, and then produces fruit. Once a breakthrough comes, it promotes various studies on development and applications, which are accompanied by the confirmation of its efficacy and safety. It can then become widespread and come into standard use in the diagnosis and treatment of disease.

I would like to show you one good example in our field-the development of endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST), which occurred in 1973 [1]. This is an endoscopic procedure to incise open the bile duct at the papilla of Vater using an electorotome. At first, it was developed as an endoscopic treatment for choledocholithiasis instead of conventional treatments such as surgery or a percutaneous approach, and this less invasive treatment is beneficial to many patients. EST not only brought us the innovation of the treatment for choledocholithiasis, it also promoted the development and improvement of endoscopic devices. Moreover, it is contributed to the progression of endoscopic diagnostic techniques and therapy in the field of bilio-pancreatology-for example, intraductal ultrasonography, cholangiopancreatoscopy, histopathological diagnostic techniques, dilation and stenting. Nowadays, EST is a universal, standard technique that is performed all over the world.

I believe that these breakthroughs and innovations have emerged thanks to the accumulation of untiring researches and daily clinical experiences. Sharing this wisdom and persistent efforts with researchers and clinicians can contribute to the further development of medicine. Moreover, we should never forget our enthusiasm with regard to wanting suffering patients to get better.

I desire to make this journal a good place for the transmission of information about our efforts and ideas, and I hope that these cornerstones will be helpful for the birth of new breakthroughs in the future.

Bibliography

1. Kawai, K., Akasaka, T., Hashimoto, H., et al. (1973). Preliminary report on endoscopic papillotomy. J Kyoto Pref Univ Medm., 82, 353.