Why do they still use fibre optic scopes USB type scopes are now so small and cheap they could be use once and thrown away.
Anything that is certified for medical use inside a patient will get several times as expensive and go through a lot of certifications. I'm guessing that at the end of the day it's cheaper to buy one pricey one, than to buy good ones in bulk and throw them away.
edit:
Note: I'm all for high quality and sterile instruments, but I don't think that you can build a disposable endoscope with comparable functions cheaply enough to be a viable alternative to a normal one.
Also, what is the state of high temperature electronics/electronics materials? Would it be possible to build a camera, that could survive (not function) at, say, 200 deg C (or 300 or whatever it takes)? Well enough for cheap and effective heat sterilization. Perhaps it might actually sterilize itself?