Global Corporate Information

"A new light on the medical world." One day about 60 years ago, a young doctor visited Olympus with the hope that the Company could develop a camera that would take pictures of the inside of a patients' stomach. The technology that Olympus developed in response to his idea paved the way for the endoscope business.

Starting with the practical application of the gastrocamera, Olympus has continuously made technological innovations that alleviate the burden on patients and support accurate diagnosis. Today, our endoscopes play a significant role in the early detection and early treatment of disease.

With an approximately 70% global market share for gastrointestinal endoscopes and an established position at the medical vanguard, Olympus maintains its passion for advancing technologies in response to doctors' needs and to improve patients' QOL.

"Endoscopes are doctor's eyes and endotherapy devices are their hands." In the 1970s, the capabilities of endoscopes expanded from mere observation to therapeutic use. Our devices for endoscopic diagnosis and treatment have progressed, reflecting physicians' requests and opinions as well as our own technological innovation in response to such requests.

In the 1990s, a procedure involving endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) to treat early-stage cancer was introduced and, in recent years, endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) to cut and separate wider mucous membranes has been promoted.

The development of devices that allow minimally invasive diagnosis and treatment in order to ease the burden on patients never comes to an end. As a leading endoscope company, Olympus continues to engage in the development of various products, including gastrointestinal and surgical endoscopes as well as its endotherapy devices, in order to realize a better medical environment.

"Patient-friendly endoscopic surgery." The popularity of endoscopic treatment that does not involve opening the abdominal cavity has rapidly spread, and such procedures are now conducted for a number of diseases in a wide range of clinical fields encompassing gastroenterology, gynecology, urology and otolaryngology. In 2008, Olympus purchased the U.K. medical equipment company Gyrus Group PLC ("Gyrus").

Gyrus is known for visualization and energy systems suitable for endoscopic surgery, especially in the urological and gynecological fields. Integrating Olympus's established imaging technology and Gyrus's energy technology, we are aiming to attain further advanced diagnostic capabilities and more patient-friendly and reliable endoscopic treatment.

"Aiming to enter an era with no fear of cancer." Olympus has been pursuing technologies to support doctors' accurate diagnosis for one of the biggest medical issues, namely, cancer. Following the development of its high-definition endoscopic system in 2002, Olympus achieved enhanced image visibility for observation using optical digital technology in 2006 to capture images of minute lesions on mucous membranes.

This technology can optically enhance the visibility of capillaries and other structures on the mucous membranes to support the early detection and treatment of such diseases as cancer. In particular, Narrow Band Imaging (NBI) has gained high appreciation among a number of physicians working in clinical settings and has opened the gate to a new era of endoscopic diagnosis.

"Shining a spotlight on organs previously hard to observe." In October 2008, Olympus's capsule endoscopes for the small bowel were released in Japan following their commercialization in Europe and the United States. Intestinal observation is possible simply by swallowing a pill-sized capsule with water. This technology is expected to contribute to the diagnosis of diseases of the small bowel - procedures that previously were considered extremely difficult - while placing a relatively low burden on patients.

A capsule endoscope takes approximately 60,000 pictures during its eight-hour travel through the body and Olympus was able to develop software for the management of capsule endoscope examination data to help doctors for efficient diagnosis. Olympus is aiming to develop capsule endoscopes for the diagnosis of disorders of other parts of the digestive system, such as the stomach and large bowel, as well as their treatment to help realize patient-friendly medical care.