If you have symptoms that do not go away, like heartburn, vomiting or belly pain, you may need an upper endoscopy. An upper endoscopy is also known as an esophagogastroduodenoscopy EGD. It is a test that enables doctors to examine the upper digestive tract, which includes the:.
An EGD uses an endoscope, which is a long, flexible tube with a camera and light at its tip. The doctor carefully guides the endoscope through the mouth and down the throat to view the upper digestive tract to view images of the digestive tract and can take color photos of specific areas. Esophageal dilation is a procedure that allows your doctor to dilate, or stretch, a narrowed area of your esophagus [swallowing tube]. Doctors can use various techniques for this procedure while you are sedated during your EGD.
A sigmoidoscope is a slender, flexible tube with a light and a very small video camera at the end of it. It is shorter than a colonoscope and is only able to evaluate the lower third of the colon. This allows a look at the inside of the rectum and lower part of the colon for cancer or polyps.
Before the test, you will need to take an enema or other prep to clean out the lower colon, but a full cleansing solution is not needed as in colonoscopy. This test is often done without any sedation, so it can be uncomfortable, but it should not be painful. Colonoscopy not only allows for the most thorough evaluation of the colon and identification of polyps and other problems, but also allows for diagnosis, treatment, and removal of potentially precancerous polyps.
Colonoscopy is the only colorectal cancer screening tool that is both diagnostic and therapeutic. A complete bowel cleansing is required before the exam. Colonoscopy is generally done with sedation and is well tolerated. Patients are given medicine that is injected through a vein to make them feel relaxed and sleepy. Most people do not remember the actual procedure. Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography, or ERCP, is a specialized technique used to study the bile ducts, pancreatic duct and gallbladder.
