[Endoscopic surgery of the digestive system: state of the art. Opinion of an endoscopic surgeon].

The Authors review the possible applications of surgical endoscopy in oesophageal, gastric, biliary, pancreatic and colic diseases. This critical assessment, performed under the abdominal endoscopic surgeon's point of view, is based on the overall experience of about 20 years of surgery, with particular regard to the sclerosis of oesophageal varices, neoplastic obstructions of oesophagus, biliary tract, colon and localized Laser treatment of neoplasms. Based on the results achieved, thanks to selective indications and monitoring by conventional surgical experience, the Authors conclude by staging a better reliability of the surgeon who performs surgical endoscopy to obtain good results after an accurate selection of those cases which can really benefit from endoscopic management.