History of Angioscopy in Japan, Early and Middle-Term Developments

This article briefly reviews the history of the early and middle-term development of cardiovascular angioscopic techniques and devices prior to the end of the 20th century in Japan, in particular with regard to the more advanced stages of laser angioplasty of the peripheral arteries. Relevant findings abroad are also cited. In the early days of angioscopy, techniques to see inside the heart or vessels required stiff angioscopes, surgically opened hearts, or arterial or venous cutdowns.