About an Endoscopy
Contents
What is an endoscopy?
Where is the endoscope inserted?
Types of Endoscopy
Why is an endoscopy performed?
Having an endoscopy
Possible Complications
The results
Sources of information for this page
What is an endoscopy?
Where is the endoscope inserted?
Types of Endoscopy
Why is an endoscopy performed?
Having an endoscopy
Possible Complications
The results
Sources of information for this page
What is an endoscopy?
An endoscopy is a test that looks inside the body, to view the digestive tract,and other internal organs, non surgically. The endoscope is a long flexible tube that can be swallowed. It has a camera and light inside it. Some doctors call it a telescope. The internal body structures are seen on a colour monitor by the physician.
Where is the endoscope inserted?
The endoscope can be inserted through the mouth, down the throat, or through the rectum.
In most cases of endoscopy, the physician inserts the tube through a natural opening in the body, such as the mouth or anus. In other situations, an endoscope is inserted through a small incision. The procedure is short, usually lasting thirty minutes or less. The endoscope allows the physician to see areas of inflammation or bleeding that do not show up clearly on x-rays.
Types of Endoscopy
There are many types of endoscopy procedures, including:
* Arthroscopy
* Bronchoscopy
* Colonoscopy
* Colposcopy
* Cystoscopy
* ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography)
* EGD (Esophogealgastroduodensoscopy)
* Laparoscopy
* Laryngoscopy
* Proctoscopy
* Thoracoscopy
* Colonoscopy
* Colposcopy
* Cystoscopy
* ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography)
* EGD (Esophogealgastroduodensoscopy)
* Laparoscopy
* Laryngoscopy
* Proctoscopy
* Thoracoscopy
Why is an endoscopy performed?
An endoscopy is often used to evaluate severe stomach pain, ulcers, gastritis, digestive tract bleeding, and to investigate polyps or masses in the colon.
Reasons for performing an endoscopy include symptoms such as bleeding, pain, or a change in bowel habits. An endoscopy is also performed to examine the colon for polyps. Endoscopy is most commonly used to examine areas of the gastrointestinal tract, including the esophagus, stomach, and areas of the intestine.
You are most likely to have an endoscopy to look at the inside of your
* Gullet (oesophagus)
* Stomach
* Duodenum - the first part of the small bowel that attaches to the stomach
* Large bowel (colon)
* Stomach
* Duodenum - the first part of the small bowel that attaches to the stomach
* Large bowel (colon)
Having an endoscopy
You can have this test as an out patient. Most people have a choice between having the test while they are awake, or after having a medicine to make them drowsy (a sedative). Your hospital may not be happy for you to have a sedative if you live alone and will have no one to look after you when you go home. If you live alone but really want sedation, your hospital may allow you to stay overnight. You should ask your doctor about this as early as possible, as extra arrangements will need to be made beforehand.
If you don't have a sedative, you will have a spray to numb the back of your throat and make it easier for you to swallow the endoscopy tube.
If you would prefer to be asleep during the test, you will have an injection to make you very drowsy just before the test. You will need to take someone with you to the hospital appointment. You won't be able to drive for the rest of the day and should have someone to go home with you.
You can't eat or drink for about 8 hours before the test so that your stomach and duodenum are empty. Your doctor will give you written instructions about this beforehand, or they may arrive with your appointment letter. When you get to the clinic, you may be asked to take your upper clothing off and put on a hospital gown. Some hospitals prefer to use gowns because your clothes won't get messy. Once you are ready, you get onto the bed or X-ray couch. When you are lying comfortably you have the sedative injection to make you very drowsy. Or your doctor will spray the back of your throat to numb it.
Once the sedative or throat spray has worked, the doctor will pass the endoscope tube down your throat to the area being investigated. Your doctor will ask you to swallow as the tube goes down, but if you've had a sedative, you won't remember that afterwards. If there are any abnormalities, the doctor will take pieces of tissue from the abnormal looking area to send to the laboratory for closer inspection under a microscope. These tissue samples are called biopsies.
When the test is over you will need to rest for a while. If you've had a sedative, you may not remember much (if anything) about the test once you have come round. You should be able to go home the same day.
Possible Complications
Possible complications of endoscopy include bleeding, tear in the abdominal wall, and reactions to sedation medications.
The results
It can take time for test results to come through. How long will depend on why you are having the test. Usually, the doctor who carries out the endoscopy dictates a report straight way. The report is typed up by the department secretary and goes to your specialist, who gives the results to you. If your GP has sent you for the test, the results will go directly to the GP surgery.
Understandably, waiting for results can make you anxious. It usually takes a couple of weeks for the results to come through. If your doctor needed them urgently, it would have been noted on the test request form and the results will be ready sooner than that. Try to remember to ask your doctor how long you should expect to wait for the results when you are first asked to go for the test. If it is not an emergency, and you have not heard a couple of weeks after your test, ring your doctor's secretary to check if they are back.
Sources of information for this page
http://cancer.about.com/od/commonmedicaltests/p/Endoscopy.htm
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-endoscopy.htm
http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp?page=3950
