Introduction. Minimally invasive therapy in five European countries: diffusion, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness.

Minimally invasive therapy (MIT) is a field that has gained a great deal of attention since the mid-1980s. MIT is a new and rapidly growing area of medical treatment based on developments in endoscopy, vascular catheters, imaging devices, and related technologies. Although endoscopes have been in use for more than 100 years, it is relatively new to use them for therapeutic purposes. Now practically every organ system in the body can be approached by these technologies. The resulting revolution in health care is the subject of this issue of the journal.