Abstract
The small intestine was inaccessible for endoscopy for a long time. It was too far from both mouth and anus and was beyond endoscopist's reach.
The history of investigation of the small bowel is quite short. In 1999 Mosse and Swain still stated in their work: “Enteroscopy remains the procedure in the gastrointestinal tract that is most inaccessible to endoscopy, and technical limitations severely impair the ability to advance and examine the small bowel reliably or completely” (Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Clinics of North America 1999; 9: 145–161).