What is Gastroscopy

A gastroscopy is a procedure where with the help of an endoscope, the inside of oesophagus,
stomach and first part of the small intestine are examined. Gastroscopy can also be sometimes
referred to as an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.

The endoscope is an instrument with a tiny camera on the end of a long, flexible tube. It is inserted
into the body to observe internal organs or tissue in detail for diagnosis or treatment. It has a light
and a camera attached at one end. The camera sends images of the inside organs to a monitor,
where it can be viewed in detail and analysed better.

When is Gastroscopy performed?

Diagnostic gastroscopy is commonly used to investigate problems such as dysphagia, obstinate

stomach ache, stomach ulcers or severe GERD conditions or upper gastronomical cancer.

Gastroscopy can also be performed to treat conditions such as bleeding ulcers, remove non-
cancerous growths (polyps) or small cancerous tumours. It is known as a therapeutic gastroscopy.

Advantages of Gastroscopy

The following are the benefits:

 Gastroscopy is a quick and safe procedure

 It allows diagnosis as well as treatment if needed
 It allows early detection of diseases
 The procedure allows the doctors to view in detail of the organ which allows better
investigation
 The procedure can be recorded and could be documented for future
 It can be recorded for later examination or comparison to a follow-up test

The procedure

A diagnostic gastroscopy may take less time as compared to therapeutic gastroscopy as it may take
longer if it's being used to treat a condition. It is typically performed as an outpatient procedure,
meaning, the patient can go home short after the procedure is done.

Before the start of the procedure, a local anaesthesia or sedative medication could be administered.
The endoscope is then inserted through the mouth and is then guided down through the esophagus
and into the stomach. The doctors can analyse the organs by viewing the images on the connected
monitor. If any abnormalities are detected in any tissue or organ, a sample can be removed and sent
to a laboratory for investigation.

After the procedure, the patient is advised to rest and is observed for a while before sending home.
The patient is advised to rest for the day and not take up heavy/responsible tasks.
The aim of procedures like Gastroscopy is to detect grave diseases at an early stage. This allows an
early cure before getting severe symptoms.