Since its appearance, endoscopy has revolutionized the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the digestive tract. This minimally invasive technique makes it possible to diagnose most digestive ailments with more than 97% certainty and offers the means to treat bleeding or tumorous lesions of the digestive tract.
Why undergo a digestive endoscopy?
Endoscopy is the best technique for the diagnosis of diseases of the digestive tract (esophagus, stomach, small intestine, colon and rectum). It is a basic tool both for the diagnosis of benign pathology (gastritis, ulcer, celiac disease, inflammatory bowel diseases, etc.) and for tumor lesions or preneoplastic lesions of the digestive tract.
Endoscopy has been a true revolution in the management of digestive tract diseases since its appearance four decades ago, since it has increased diagnostic safety to figures of over 97%. It also provides a minimally invasive way of obtaining biopsy samples for histological diagnosis.
On the other hand, in the last two decades, endoscopy has acquired a very important therapeutic vocation, so that bleeding lesions or tumor lesions that were previously a clear indication for surgery can now be treated endoscopically. In some cases, endoscopy can even be diagnostic and therapeutic in a single act. The basic example is colonoscopy: a patient undergoes colonoscopy for colon cancer prevention; in the same procedure, the colon is explored and polyps that could be visualized are removed.
Endoscopic methods have also been developed for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux, obesity and other health problems. In addition, there are reference endoscopic techniques for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the biliary tract and pancreas.
For all these reasons, endoscopic treatment significantly reduces costs and also the risk of complications for patients.
Endoscopy with sedation
In recent years the use of sedation for endoscopic techniques has become widespread. Sedation represents one of the quality standards of endoscopy today. The patient should refuse to undergo an endoscopy that causes discomfort and suffering.
In terms of advances, we must also mention the improvement in the quality of endoscopic imaging, which significantly increases the safety of our diagnoses. Endoscopes not only offer us high-definition images but also incorporate technologies that allow us to predict the histological diagnosis of the lesions we see.
We have more and more and better tools that allow us to perform increasingly sophisticated and safe endoscopic treatments in ailments in which the solution previously required surgery.
Preparation for endoscopy, what should I know?
The patient should know that, although endoscopy is the best possible diagnostic technique, it is not infallible. No technique can guarantee 100% efficiency, although in diseases of the digestive tract, endoscopy is the one that comes closest.
Furthermore, although it is a safe technique, there is a minimal risk of complications, especially when the intention of the technique is therapeutic. For this reason, it should only be performed when indicated. In no case should the performance of an adequate medical history by the physician be put on the back burner. Additionally, there are personalized risks based on the pathologies that the patient may present, so only the physician who knows the patient’s history should indicate the test.