What to Know About Digestive Diseases and Endoscopy

Endoscopy is a nonsurgical medical process that is used to check a person's digestive tract. It is the insertion of a long and flexible tube with a light and camera attached to it, directly into the body to inspect an internal organ and tissues. Endoscopy is also used to capture images of the internal organ and perform minor surgeries. In medical terms, the upper endoscopy is called esophagogastroduodenoscopy. Often, doctors prescribe this medical process for the following reasons:

Examine signs and symptoms

This minimally invasive process may help doctors to determine causes of digestive problems such as:

• Digestive tract bleeding
• Stomach pain
• Polyps or growths in the colon
• Gastritis, ulcers or difficulty swallowing
• Changes in bowel habits (chronic constipation or diarrhoea)

Tissue samples 

The doctors may prescribe this process to collect tissue samples (biopsy) to assess them for any specific conditions and health diseases including bleeding, inflammation, anaemia, diarrhoea, or cancers of the digestive tract.

Treatment

The endoscopist may use some specific tools through the endoscope to treat problems in the digestive tract system including destroying or removing a strange object, clipping off a polyp, or widening a narrow esophagus.

How to prepare for Endoscopy?

Examining the upper digestive tract requires a person to keep a fast for 7-8 hours before the procedure to ensure that the stomach is unfilled and set for the endoscopy. If an individual takes certain blood-thinning medicines, the doctor may ask him to stop medications before the procedure.

Risks and side effects

Though endoscopy is a safe medical procedure, there may be some potential complications such as:

• A numb throat for a few hours due to the effects of local anesthetic
• Feeling bloated for a few hours after the process
• Pain in endoscopy part
• Complications related to previous health problems

Those who are prescribed for this medical procedure need to choose the best endoscopist in Delhi, Mumbai or any other city. During the process, the person will be given a sedative or general anesthesia to make them comfortable and relaxed. Patients may wake up within an hour but it will take 24 hours for the sedation effect to wear off.