Cura Imaging & Gastro Clinic

GASTROSCOPY

What is a Gastroscopy?

  • A gastroscopy is a test to check inside your throat, food pipe (oesophagus) and stomach, known as the upper part of your digestive system.
  • This test can help find what’s causing your symptoms.
  • A long, thin, flexible tube with a small camera inside it is passed into your mouth then down your throat and into your stomach.

Why it's Done?

  • A gastroscopy can be done to check what’s causing your digestive symptoms, treat some conditions or check for cancer.

To Know the cause of your digestive symptoms like

  • Difficulties swallowing or pain when swallowing (dysphagia)
  • Indigestion
  • Heartburn or Stomach pain
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting blood
  • Your poo is black and sticky, like tar (there may be blood in it from your stomach)

Treating Problems

  • A gastroscopy can sometimes also be used to treat problems with your digestive system.
  • A gastroscopy can help widen your food pipe (oesophagus) if it’s too narrow and causing pain or difficulties when you swallow.
  • Stop bleeding inside your stomach or oesophagus remove growths with feeding if you’re unable to eat normally (a gastroscopy can help doctors place a feeding tube into your stomach)

Checking for cancer

  • A gastroscopy can be used to check for some types of cancer, such as:
  • Stomach cancer
  • Oesophageal cancer – this is cancer of the food pipe (oesophagus), the tube connecting your mouth to your stomach.
  • During a gastroscopy a small sample of tissue can be removed from your stomach or oesophagus for testing. This is called a biopsy.
  • The biopsy is tested to see if there are any cancer cells in it.

Getting ready for the procedure

  • On the day of the gastroscopy, you’ll need to stop eating at least 6 hours before the test.
  • You may be able to have small sips of water.
  • You’ll be offered medicine called sedation to relax you just before a gastroscopy begins. If you choose to have sedation, you’ll need to arrange for someone to collect you after the gastroscopy and take you home.
  • The medicine can stay in the body for around 24 hours, which makes certain activities unsafe, such as driving. You will need to arrange for someone to stay with you during this time.
  • You might also need to take the next day off work, depending on the type of work you do.
What Happens What it might feel like
A thin, flexible tube with a small camera inside goes into your mouth and down your throat into your stomach​. You Make Feel Like You Want To be sick. This Should Stop Once The Tubes Reaches your stomach. Sedation Can Help Prevent this.
Air is pumped in to inflate your stomach. You may feel bloated might burp a few times.
A sample of cells may be taken. You will not feel anything if this happen.

You make feel like you want to be sick. This should stop once the tube reaches your stomach. Sedation can help prevent this You may feel bloated and might burp a few times You will not feel anything if this happens

After a Gastroscopy

After the gastroscopy is finished you will be moved to a recovery room.

You should be able to go home as soon as you feel well enough to. For most people, this will be within a few hours.

If you have sedation, you’ll need someone to take you home and stay with you for 24 hours.

You should also avoid doing any of the following for 24 hours after sedation:

  • Drinking alcohol
  • Driving
  • Operating machinery
  • Signing important documents

If you have a local anaesthetic spray you should wait an hour before eating or drinking.

You may have some stomach and throat pain after a gastroscopy. This is normal and should pass in a few hours.

Results

  • A doctor or nurse may explain the results of the gastroscopy to you before you leave hospital. If you had a biopsy, you’ll need to wait for the results.
  • They’ll also let you know if any extra treatment was done during the gastroscopy.
  • You may be given a follow-up appointment to talk about your results and discuss possible treatments that could help you.

Biopsy Results

  • If you had cells removed for testing, called a biopsy, it can take up to 8 days to get the results.
  • If doctors think you may have cancer , you will get the results as soon as possible.
  • If your results say you have cancer, you’ll be put in touch with a specialist cancer care team.