Introduction In Japan, gastrointestinal endoscopy began with the introduction of the gastroscope, which prompted active clinical use of endoscopes in subsequent years [ 1 ]. After the gastroscope had been introduced into practice, various fiberscopes began to be used clinically. In 1984, electronic video endoscopes were also developed. Unlike fiberscopes in which light signals are directly observed, electronic video endoscopes convert electronic signals into images via semiconductor elements and allow various forms of electronic image processing and analysis. Recently, it was demonstrated that narrow band imaging (NBI) is useful for early diagnosis of cancers of the oropharynx, hypopharynx, esophagus, stomach, and large intestine. This finding invited many responses not only from Japanese investigators but also colleagues in many other countries, and NBI has been attracting considerable attention in academic societies, research organizations, etc. In Japan, the term ”special light (observation)” was and is now frequently used to describe this method. A succession of analogous techniques were later made public. The term ”special light (observation)“ came to have various and sometimes ambiguous meanings in this field, causing some confusion among investigators. In view of this problem and the necessity of establishing internationally applicable terminology related to endoscopy, the present authors hereby propose a new classification for endoscopic techniques, that is tailored to the methods and technologies and provides precise definitions of individual terms. 1 This proposal was discussed at a symposium on novel endoscopic imaging technologies at the Japan Digestive Disease Week (JDDW) 2007 in Kobe, and was submitted to Endoscopy by the authors with authorization from the Executive Board of the Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society.
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Tajiri et al. (2008) studied this question.