Upper Endoscopy (EGD)

Endoscopy is a type of medical procedure that physicians use to examine the digestive tract in a patient with a possible digestive disorder or disease. The procedure is named for the device used, an endoscope, which is a long and flexible tube featuring a light and a camera at its end. Using this long, flexible tube, physicians can view detailed images of the digestive tract in full color without requiring an invasive or surgical procedure to make it happen.

The endoscopy is a procedure physicians often turn to first in the case of digestive tract symptoms or disorders. The reason why is because the endoscope offers a minimally invasive or non-invasive way to look inside the digestive tract. While some procedures can be uncomfortable, such as the removal of tissue for biopsy, using the endoscope is generally not an uncomfortable procedure. This makes it often the first tool that physicians use in diagnosis before they have to turn to other tools and procedures.

The endoscopy is the recommended procedure for a number of symptoms, as the endoscope is an evaluation or diagnosis tool. Some of the symptoms that an endoscope can help to diagnose include difficulty swallowing, gastritis, ulcers, bleeding in the digestive tract, stomach pain, colon growths, polyps, chronic constipation, chronic diarrhea and even to do a biopsy. The endoscope can be used in order to remove tissue from the digestive tract for biopsy, or even to remove small growths from the digestive tract.