Index
- What is a digestive endoscopy?
- What does an endoscopy consist of?
- Why is a digestive endoscopy performed?
- How to prepare for a digestive endoscopy
- How will the test feel?
- What abnormal results mean
- Advances in endoscopy
What is a digestive endoscopy?
A digestive endoscopy, also known as a gastroscopy, is a test used to diagnose and initiate treatment of diseases of the upper digestive tract: esophagus, stomach and duodenum.
The endoscopy is performed through an endoscope that is inserted through the mouth until it reaches the intestine and allows specialists to look through the camera at the end of the end of the endoscope.
At the same time, the endoscope itself has several channels inside it through which instruments can be introduced that allow other tests to be performed at the same time, such as a biopsy or treatments such as the removal of polyps or nodules and the cauterization of bleeding blood vessels.
What does an endoscopy consist of?
A digestive endoscopy consists mainly of an exploration of the upper digestive tract, i.e. stomach, esophagus and duodenum through the introduction of an endoscope through the mouth. The endoscope is a flexible instrument with a lens and a camera at the end. The images it captures in real time are displayed on a monitor as the endoscope advances.
Its duration is around a quarter to half an hour, although in the event that unexpected aspects are found or some type of therapeutic treatment or biopsy has to be taken.
Why is a digestive endoscopy performed?
There are several reasons why a digestive endoscopy may be performed. They are the following:
- To analyze problems of the esophagus, such as esophagitis, narrowing or tumors.
- To analyze stomach problems: gastritis, tumors and gastric ulcers.
- Diagnosis of hiatal hernia and/or gastroesophageal reflux.
- Liver cirrhosis: in these cases there may be thickening in the veins of the stomach and esophagus, the so-called esophageal varices.
- Hematemesis: to find the cause of vomiting blood.
- It is used in cases of iron deficiency anemia and there is suspicion of blood loss in the gastrointestinal tract.
- Samples to diagnose celiac disease or bacterial infections.
- To reach the exit of the bile duct from the duodenum and diagnose diseases.
In turn, digestive endoscopy has other particularities apart from diagnosing problems in the digestive tract, as it can be used for therapeutic purposes in some cases:
- To remove foreign bodies that may have remained in the upper intestine.
- To dilate the esophagus in case there is a narrowing.
- To remove polyps from the intestine
- Cauterize bleeding vessels or ligate esophageal varices that may bleed.
Digestive endoscopy is a completely painless test that lasts no more than five minutes.
Preparation for a digestive endoscopy
Digestive endoscopy or gastroscopy is not a procedure that requires a great deal of preparation to perform.
The patient should avoid eating or drinking during the eight hours prior to the examination, as well as stop taking their usual medication unless otherwise instructed by the specialist.
On the other hand, except as a general rule, the patient will not be given any medication before the test, although sometimes a local anesthetic may be applied to the throat to reduce possible nausea.
There are also cases in which intravenous sedation will be administered to relax the patient.
What does the examination feel like?
Gastroscopy is a painless test and only lasts between three and five minutes. Although it is a painless test, the patient will feel discomfort while the endoscope is being introduced, with constant nausea.
Once the exploration is finished, the patient will feel discomfort in his throat, which will be numb. The patient may have gas due to swallowed air, but it will disappear quickly.
Meaning of abnormal results
Digestive endoscopy is a safe test in which complications are rare. In fact, the possible complications increase when the endoscope is used to apply some type of treatment.
Possible complications include perforation, drug reactions, bleeding, cardiopulmonary alterations…
Advances in endoscopy
Technological advances make it possible to explore routes that were impossible in the past, such as the bile duct or the pancreatic duct. This makes it possible to diagnose and treat problems that previously required surgical intervention.
In areas where the endoscope cannot reach, there is the so-called capsule endoscope, which is swallowed like a pill and transmits images of the interior of the digestive tract to a monitor without the patient feeling any discomfort.