Endoscopic Procedures
Our accredited Endoscopy Center offers comprehensive treatment for gastrointestinal issues affecting your digestive system. With an endoscope — a thin, flexible tube with a light and a camera — we can perform a wide variety of diagnostic, therapeutic and screening gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures.
A colonoscopy is used for the screening, diagnosis and treatment of colon conditions, including colorectal cancer. The endoscope is inserted through the rectum to examine your colon and rectum to detect changes, polyps, inflammation or other abnormalities.
Colon polyps form in the lining of your GI tract. Most are noncancerous, but some can grow and turn into cancer over time. Colon polyps don’t cause symptoms and there’s no way to know if one will become cancerous. During a colonoscopy, we remove polyps to reduce your risk and help prevent colon cancer.
Upper Endoscopy
Upper endoscopy is used to examine the upper portion of your GI tract, from your mouth to the first section of your small intestine. It’s also called an EGD test (short for esophagogastroduodenoscopy) because it’s used to examine your esophagus, stomach and duodenum (small intestine). An EGD test is used to diagnose and treat ulcers, inflammation, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) cancer or dysphagia.
Upper endoscopy is a test used to examine the upper portion of your gastrointestinal tract (esophagus, stomach and duodenum). You will be given a sedative and then an endoscope (thin, flexible tube with a light and camera) is passed through your mouth to examine the effected section of digestive tract and images are obtained for evaluation. Your physician may also take biopsies (samples of tissue) to evaluate for cell changes, certain bacteria, ulcers and other conditions. Upper endoscopy is used to evaluate numerous conditions and treat some conditions such as trouble swallowing.
Video Capsule Endoscopy
Using a pill-sized camera that you actually swallow, capsule endoscopy is used to find the cause of unexplained bleeding, iron deficiency, diarrhea or abdominal pain. As the pill passes through your entire digestive system, it takes pictures that can help find colon polyps, ulcers, tumors and signs of inflammatory bowel disease.
Video capsule endoscopy is used to evaluate the middle portion of your gastrointestinal tract (duodenum, ileum and jejunum) and is useful in determining a source of bleeding, diagnosing ulcers or even detecting tumors. Capsule endoscopy is achieved by swallowing a pill-sized camera, (usually in the early morning). This pill has a light and camera to take pictures along your digestive tract as your body passes the capsule. You will also be asked to wear a recording device that stores the pictures as they are taken and will be downloaded at the end of your study (usually at the end of the day). Your physician will review these pictures and relay the findings to you. The capsule is expelled through your stool, similar to food after it’s digested.
Esophageal Dilation
Difficulty swallowing is often due to a narrowing of the esophagus. It’s commonly caused by scarring from reflux if you have heartburn. Esophageal dilation is an endoscopic procedure that is done to stretch the narrow area of your esophagus to make swallowing easier. After the procedure, you may feel a slight sore throat but can resume drinking the same day and eating the next.
The endoscope is a versatile technology. In addition to standard endoscopic procedures, the same device can be used to treat the most complicated problems in your gastrointestinal tract. When a colonoscopy or upper endoscopy turns up something abnormal or complex, our fellowship-trained digestive disorder specialists have more tools at their disposal:
- Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)
- Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS)
- Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR)
- Radiofrequency ablation
- Large polypectomy
- Fine needle aspiration
- Bile duct stone removal
- Pancreatic fluid collection