Endoscopy

An endoscopy is a procedure used in medicine to look inside the body. The endoscopy procedure uses an endoscope to examine the interior of a hollow organ or cavity of the body. There are many types of endoscopies.

The procedure will depend to some extent on the reason for the endoscopy.

Upper GI Endoscopy is the endoscopic examination of the upper gastrointestinal tract from the esophagus to the duodenum.

There are three main reasons for carrying out an endoscopy:

• Investigation: Endoscopy is a useful modality for investigating patients suffering from abdominal pain ,vomiting,difficulty in swallowing, unexplained anemia and weight loss, reflux symptoms , to look for stomach ulcers and any bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract.
• Confirmation of a diagnosis: Endoscopic biopsies are used for diagnosing malignancies of the gastrointestinal tract
• Treatment: An endoscope can treat an illness such as hemoclip application of bleeding vessel or banding of varices