Endoscopy Screening: What Is It & What Are the Benefits?
An endoscopy is a medical procedure used to examine a person’s gastrointestinal tract. A thin tube with a camera and light attached to it is used to view photos of the patient’s gastrointestinal tract on a colour TV monitor. Endoscopy screening is often ordered by the doctor when a patient is suffering from a digestive problem.
5 benefits of Endoscopy screening
- Diagnosis of the digestive system
The condition of the digestive system can be determined with endoscopy. It can help identify ulcers, bleeding, celiac disease, blockages, inflammation and tumours. Doctors can find the cause of unexplained symptoms, such as heartburn, abdominal pain, bleeding, nausea, vomiting and pain. Endoscopy is more accurate than gastrointestinal X-rays for detecting abnormal growths such as cancer. - Safe procedure
Endoscopy is considered one of the safest medical procedures and carries a low level of risk. Rare complications such as sedation, bleeding, infection and perforation that may occur are generally associated with pre-existing conditions. - Used to treat conditions
If certain disorders are found during the endoscopy procedure, it’s often possible to treat them at the same time. The gastroenterologist can pass special tools through the endoscope to treat problems in the patient’s digestive system, such as removing any foreign objects, widening a narrow esophagus, or clipping off a polyp that can cause cancer. - It’s not usually a painful procedure
There’s nothing to fear about endoscopy treatment as it is not usually painful. Most patients only experience mild discomforts such as sore throat or indigestion. Patients may be given local anaesthesia to numb a specific area of their body and it is safe to take acetaminophen for the minor discomfort after the procedure. - It’s a quick procedure
A normal endoscopy usually takes about 20 minutes only. The patients would be awake during the procedure but they will be given medication to relax them before the test. They would not be able to drive for a while after the procedure is done.