Gastrointestinal tract
An upper endoscopy is
used to diagnose and, sometimes, treat conditions that affect the upper part of
your digestive system, including the esophagus, stomach and beginning of the
small intestine (duodenum).
Your doctor may
recommend an endoscopy procedure to:
·
Investigate
signs and symptoms. An endoscopy may
help your doctor determine what's causing digestive signs and symptoms, such as
nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, difficulty swallowing and gastrointestinal bleeding.
·
Diagnose. Your doctor may use an endoscopy to
collect tissue samples (biopsy) to test for diseases and conditions, such as
anemia, bleeding, inflammation, diarrhea or cancers of the digestive system.
·
Treat. Your doctor can pass special tools
through the endoscope to treat problems in your digestive system, such as
widening a narrow esophagus, clipping off a polyp or removing a foreign object.
An endoscopy is
sometimes combined with other procedures, such as an ultrasound. An ultrasound
probe may be attached to the endoscope to create specialized images of the wall
of your esophagus or stomach. An endoscopic ultrasound may also help your
doctor create images of hard-to-reach organs, such as your pancreas. Newer
endoscopes use high-definition video to provide clearer images.
Many endoscopes have
technology called narrow band imaging, which uses special light to help doctors
better detect precancerous conditions, such as Barrett's esophagus.
Comments
Post a Comment