Guide to Gastroscopy - Symptoms & Procedure

April 30, 2019

Gastroscopy is a process in which the oesophagus is examined with the help of a sophisticated, thin tube called an endoscope. This process is administered to those suffering from gastrointestinal problems.

Procedure:

For proper examination of the GI tract, you are advised not to eat anything before 8 hours of endoscopy. Before the process, the patient is administered a sedative to keep them relaxed. The sedative is given through an intravenous injection. Then you are given a liquid to gargle and throw multiple times, in order to numb our buccal cavity and to prevent chocking. The staff will try to keep you as calm as possible. The tube is inserted in the mouth of the patient and it is inserted down from the food pipe to the stomach and ends up at the small intestine. The doctors administered through the screen and delivers report accordingly. This process is also called upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.

During the upper GI endoscopy, the doctor may

• Take small samples of tissue, cells, or fluid in your upper GI tract for testing.
• Stop any type of internal bleeding.
• Open up closed veins and dilation.

Doctors also use upper GI endoscopy to perform the following tasks:

• Treat internal bleeding from ulcers, esophageal varices or other conditions
• Dilate or open up strictures with a small balloon passed through the endoscope
• Remove those objects that remain stuck in the GI tract.
• Remove polyps and other abnormal growths
• Serves as feeding and drainage tubes

Symptoms showing the need of Gastroscopy:

• Pain in the stomach
• Indigestion of food
• Heartburn
• Dysphasia- pain while swallowing food
• Anemia- low RBC count in the blood that may lead to internal bleeding
• Tar like stool
• Blood oozing with vomiting
• Sudden, sharp abdominal pain
• Regular heartburn
• Persistent internal bleeding
• Nausea and vomiting along with blood
• Pain in stomach
• Problems while swallowing food
• Unexplained weight loss

Types of Gastroscopy:

• Stomach ulcers - the lining of the stomach and the intestine gets affected. Internal bleeding is common.
• Gastro-intestinal reflux disease- also called GORD. In this condition the stomach acid refluxes into the gullet causing burning sensations.
• Barret’s oesophagus- the food pipe witnesses several abnormal cells on them.
• Portal Hypertension- an acute condition where the blood pressure of the stomach remains excessively high leading to puffed veins on the lining of the stomach and food pipe.
• Coeliac disease- an abnormal indigestion problem where the person is unable to digest the swallowed food. Eating food becomes a painful affair in this condition.
• Stomach cancer or oesophageal cancer.
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease
• Inflammation, or swelling of internal organs
• Precancerous abnormalities of internal organs
• Strictures or narrowing of the food pipe
• Blockages

The entire process will take you 15 to 30 minutes altogether. The process do not cause breathing problems and you may fall asleep during the process. It also helps in addressing problems where a person consumes toxic chemicals or fluids. Doctors have used this technique to address people suffering from acute obesity problems.