L'endoscopic virtuelle

After a brief definition of virtual endoscopy (VE), the authors, through personal experience and an analysis of the literature, present the results of this new method applied to several applications: tracheo-bronchial tree, vessels, colon, bladder, and central nervous system. Virtual endos-copy was compared to standard endoscopy; advantages and limits were studied. We underline the atraumatic feature of VE and the superiority of fibroscopy. Terminology is assessed. A comparison between the two methods is not actually justified because one of the methods is a recent development. Virtual endoscopy development is an undeniably interesting challenge for standard endoscopy. It is conceivable that in the near future, an important number of purely diagnostic exams will be carried on by virtual techniques (J.F. Rey).