Endoscopic procedures can be diagnostic and therapeutic. While diagnostic endoscopies are used to diagnose diseases, therapeutic endoscopies allow the treatment of diseases with non-surgical methods. Endoscopy can be used in the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases. For example, gastroscopy is used to examine the inner surface of the stomach and duodenum, and colonoscopy is used to examine the large intestine.
What is endoscopy?
Endoscopy is a medical imaging method used to examine organs and tissues within the body. This method is performed through an endoscope, which is a flexible tube. The endoscope is a flexible tube whose end is equipped with a camera and light source. Since this method is a non-surgical procedure, it is generally preferred to surgical interventions. While images are taken during endoscopy, biopsies or minor surgical procedures may be performed at the same time. Types of endoscopy include:
- Gastroscopy
- colonoscopy
- Sigmoidoscopy
- Capsule endoscopy
- enteroscopy
Why is endoscopy performed?
Endoscopy is a medical procedure used to examine the inside of the digestive system and some other organs. The most common reasons for endoscopy are:
- Detection of digestive system diseases such as stomach ulcer, gastritis or reflux disease
- Detection of cancers such as colon cancer or polyps
- Detection of infections
- Inflammation detection
- Bleeding detection
- Narrowing or blockage detection
- Foreign body detection
- stopping stomach ulcers or bleeding
- Removing polyps or small tumors
- Expanding narrow areas
- Removing foreign objects
- Taking a biopsy of tissue
- cancer screening
- Evaluating the function of organs
- Guiding surgical procedures
How is endoscopy done?
You may be asked to fast for 6-8 hours before the endoscopy procedure. Sedation or anesthesia may be given during the procedure. The endoscope is gently inserted through the mouth or anus. The doctor passes the endoscope through your digestive system and examines your organs. The doctor may take tissue samples (biopsy) or remove small growths such as polyps if necessary.
How long does endoscopy take?
Upper digestive tract endoscopies (gastroscopy) usually take 3 to 5 minutes. Colonoscopy takes 15 to 20 minutes. If a biopsy, polyp or other intervention is performed during the procedure, the procedure time may be longer. In some cases, the endoscopy procedure may take more than 30 minutes.
This information is for informational purposes only. If you have a medical problem, please consult your doctor.