Endoscopy of the stomach
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Most often, health problems begin at a time when a person does not even think about it. Especially it concerns diseases of the stomach and other organs that make up the human digestive system. In order to protect yourself somehow, to secure and notice the pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract in time, it is important to make an endoscopy of the stomach. To date, laparoscopic examination of internal organs can be done in almost any out-patient department.
The very term "endoscopy" ("endon" and "skopeo"), from the Greek is translated as: "inside" "investigate". With the help of easily bending tubes that are equipped with lighting and optical systems, one can examine the organs of the stomach. This helps in a short time to investigate even the most minor violations. Endoscopy of the stomach can be considered one of the most favorable and most frequently used methods of diagnosis. Doctors will not prescribe any surgical interventions without the most extreme cases.
Endoscopy is a modern method of visual and instrumental diagnosis, thanks to which you can see diseases of internal organs. The endoscope is the main research tool with which to perform such a procedure. At one end of his eyepiece is located, allowing you to observe the picture of the affected area, and on the other - a camera that transmits the image seen. Qualified specialists can easily detect the problem at the earliest stage of the disease and at the time of prescribing appropriate treatment.
Endoscopy of the stomach (EGDS, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, gastroscopy) is a kind of endoscopic examination that examines the duodenum, the mucous membrane of the stomach and esophagus with the help of an endoscope. This device is presented in the form of a flexible tube, inside which is located the fiber-optic system. It is thanks to her that the doctor can see the full picture of the internal organs of the stomach on the monitor, as a result of which he can print the received data on the printer.
Such a study is very important in order to know in what state the duodenum is located, the stomach in case of suspected cancer. In addition, endoscopy of the stomach helps to study the lumen of the esophagus, to notice gastrointestinal bleeding, with gastritis, esophagitis, gastroduodenitis, to establish peptic ulcer of the duodenum or stomach, if such are present in the patient's body. Endoscopy of the stomach is also performed for additional examination in certain diseases, in order to clarify the diagnosis once again.
Preparation for endoscopy of the stomach
However, this study can only be carried out on the basis of a doctor's testimony, which must have every reason to carry out endoscopy of the stomach, which will really help in further treatment. In addition, the doctor should be aware of allergic reactions to medications and concomitant diseases, if it is present in the ordinary life of a person.
But before that, you need to undergo proper preparation for endoscopy of the stomach. Do not eat for several hours. Endoscopy should be done solely on an empty stomach, so that food remains do not complicate the examination, which later could be subjected to any doubts. Therefore, the last meal before the endoscopy of the stomach would be a good idea to spend eight to ten hours before the examination, not later. To carry out endoscopy of the stomach, a special endoscopic room is allocated, and it is made exclusively for this purpose by a trained endoscopist.
If there is such a need, then endoscopy can be carried out under the influence of soothing drugs and by spraying an anesthetic drug, in which local anesthesia of the pharynx and root of the tongue is made. Anesthesia can also be used, but it is done extremely rarely, in exceptional cases.
What should the patient do when carrying out the endoscopy of the stomach? First, he must behave calmly, evenly, breathing deeply. If necessary, spread the folds of the mucous membrane. Then the doctor pushes a little air and watches the duodenum, stomach and esophagus. He can perform a biopsy or endoscopic pH-metry, stop bleeding or remove polyps, small tumors and administer medication if a person needs it and he has suitable symptoms for this. Endoscopy can last only a few minutes. But only after a day all the unpleasant sensations associated with this procedure completely disappear.
Modern technology makes it possible to carry out endoscopic research absolutely safely and without difficulties. An exception to the rules may be some complications after the procedure. But such examples are a small percentage. These include perforation of the walls of the organ under investigation, mental disorders, damage to the walls with the development of bleeding.
Preparation for endoscopy of the stomach
How to prepare for endoscopy of the stomach?
Early rules of behavior before and after endoscopy, which the patient simply must know, have already been described. Now it will be more specific.
To do this, you need to know the following rules:
- Endoscopy is performed on an empty stomach in the first half of the day;
- If the study is done in the afternoon, it is important not to eat 7 hours before bringing the endoscopy of the stomach;
- It is allowed to drink water without gases in small amounts - no more than 50 ml;
- Preparation of the patient for endoscopy also has its own peculiarities, depending on the general condition of the patient, and on the nature of the study. It can be both planned and emergency.
If a person knows about endoscopy of the stomach beforehand, he does not have the right to eat for at least 4 hours before the study. Time of the last reception can be different, it is individually appointed by the doctor. 3 hours before the procedure, the patient must drink one Seduxen tablet or another tranquilizer. Half an hour before endoscopy, premedication is performed with cholinolytic agents (0.5-1 ml of a 0.1% solution of atropine sulfate is combined with methacin or 0.2% solution of platifillin). For patients who are easily excitable, a dose of 2.5% diprasine solution in the amount of 30-50 mg is prescribed, and local anesthesia is performed 5 minutes before endoscopy. The patient sits down for this on a chair, after which he must deeply open his mouth and stick out his tongue. After that, the doctors are engaged in washing the back wall of the pharynx and the root of the tongue and processing 1-2% solution of lidocaine. Do this in the form of rinsing or irrigation. Next, he is asked to do a swallowing movement to make him anesthetize the esophagus. In a few minutes the patient feels numbness in the throat, certain difficulties in swallowing. These symptoms and the sensation of a foreign body inside him, make it clear that the anesthesia is working, and therefore gives a signal that the patient is already ready for the study of the stomach. Quite twofold is the issue of gastric lavage, since it touches the mucosa, and the contents of the stomach can provide additional information.
Therefore, doctors in this case recommend washing the stomach in the following cases:
- With stenosis of the gatekeeper. One day before the endoscopy in the morning and evening time, the stomach is washed until its contents become literally pure water.
- At a cardiospasm of 2 and 4 degrees.
The most successful location of the patient with endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal tract is the position on the left side. Sometimes it becomes necessary for the patient to change the position of his body (for example, a coup on the stomach, on the right side, etc.). To do this, in addition to a separate room, a special table should be allocated, in which the foot and head ends can be adjusted, raising or lowering them, and also turning the patient in one direction or another.
So, a person who wants to make an endoscopy is put on a table or a couch, on his left side. His left leg should be straightened, and the right leg bent at the knee joint, and then brought to the stomach. The second variant of the correct position of the body with endoscopy of the stomach should be as follows. Both legs need to be bent and tightened, hands to press against the trunk. A rubber cushion is usually placed under the head. The cabinet is necessarily darkened.
Emergency endoscopy is performed if it is necessary to immediately identify the causes of gastric bleeding or remove various foreign bodies of the stomach. To conduct differential diagnosis of stomach diseases, to identify acute surgical diseases, to establish the nature of pyloroduodenal organic or functional stenosis also prescribe gastroscopy.
If the patient suffers from esophageal diseases, which involve the inability to hold an endoscope in the stomach, then this study is contraindicated. In cases where there is an increased risk of perforation (eg, with esophageal burn, scar structure, aortic aneurysm, etc.), it is also not recommended to do an emergency endoscopy of the stomach. A relative contraindication can be attributed to a serious condition of the patient as a whole, necessarily associated with the presence of certain concomitant diseases. However, even with acute infarction or cerebrovascular accidents, esophagogastroscopy can be justified, because they are related to those diseases that can represent the very threat to the life of the patient.
At the moment, there are only two absolute contraindications for anesthesia under gastroscopy: this is the patient's dying condition and the patient's refusal to study.
Many patients are cautious about this procedure. However, they have no cause for concern. The use of modern endoscopes can guarantee the relative safety of endoscopy. The only thing to be feared is the most formidable complications in which the walls of the organs under investigation or the esophageal perforation are affected by a gastro-scope. But they are observed basically, as already mentioned above, in elderly patients or patients with unstable psyche, as well as inadequate anesthesia and poor visibility. It is also worth mentioning the damage to the gastric mucosa, and the gastroesophageal junction. There are even bleeding from these injuries, but they are not so terrible. They can be stopped independently, or with the help of endoscopic hemostasis. Not quite good sensations in the patient can cause also a forcing of a considerable quantity of air in a stomach. But it pleases that such unpleasant situations are extremely rare, most of which do not pose a great threat to the life and health of patients.
Indications and contraindications to endoscopy of the stomach
Endoscopy of the stomach for children
Children also have pain in the stomach, from which they often get painful sensations. In addition, all the ailments of the gastrointestinal tract lead to a slowdown in growth and development. One of the most common problems is the swallowing of foreign bodies by the child, as well as gastrointestinal ailments peculiar to early age.
In such cases, experts believe that diagnosis and counseling for infants, premature babies and patients with various chronic diseases is simply necessary. The problems of the digestive system, acute and chronic diarrhea, periodic abdominal pains, etc., which are usually in children, can be avoided and prevented. Similarly, as in time to provide treatment, diagnosis and observation of many problems. These include celiac disease, pancreatic disease, chronic inflammation and infectious diseases of the digestive system, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Modern equipment helps doctors to identify and cure various diseases. You can do this with:
- gastroscopy;
- colonoscopy;
- impedance of the esophagus;
- expansion of the esophagus;
- removal of foreign bodies, polyps in the digestive system;
- biopsy of the liver and intestines;
- endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal tract.
Capsular endoscopy is one of the safest and easiest ways to obtain test results. As already mentioned above, with capsular endoscopy of the stomach, children should not be afraid of anything. This study does not cause painful sensations not about the time, nor after it.
When capsular endoscopy, children from 5 years and older swallow the video-tape independently. If the children are younger, at the age of 1 to 5 years, they will need endoscopic help to swallow the video capsule. But, one way or another, endoscopy of the stomach for children is recommended, if necessary, even on the advice of doctors.
Capsular endoscopy of the stomach
For those who do not want to put a long slippery "hose" in them, an alternative procedure can be proposed. It is much nicer than the first and is called "capsular endoscopy of the stomach." It is prescribed when the patient needs to examine the esophagus and small intestine. To do this, the patient should only swallow a small plastic capsule, which is pre-equipped with everything important for examination. This includes a special micro-video camera, micro transmitter, antenna and batteries, which are designed for 8 hours of operation.
A disposable capsule can reproduce more than 50 thousand bright images, 2 photos per second, transmitted to a special device, which is fixed on the patient's belt. The camera shows pictures of high quality, and as a result - gives the opportunity to determine and diagnose as accurately as possible. In a word, with capsular endoscopy of the stomach, the capsule the patient swallows goes the same way that every day the absorbed food passes.
This procedure does not cause absolutely no imbalance, pain or discomfort. When you expect the result, you can do anything, in a word, conduct a normal lifestyle - running, eating, sleeping ... The only thing you can not do is abuse fitness and hard physical work.
To decipher the results, the doctor must see and analyze more than 50,000 photographs. As a result of the resulting picture, which consists of showing the film, which shows as if 24 frames per second. For the whole period, it takes 1.5-2 hours. The field whereupon all the received data is displayed, and then displayed on the form.
Unwanted contraindications for examination with the help of capsular endoscopy of the stomach in a person is rather small. These include: a complex state of the patient, intestinal obstruction. It is not necessary to prepare for a video clip for hours. It is enough to eat for the last time 15-16 hours before the start of the study and the person is ready for it.
What are the advantages of capsular endoscopy of the stomach? It helps to find the original cause of the ailments that periodically recur or foci of permanent ailments, such as: abdominal pain, diarrhea, bleeding, or anemia in cases where any other methods do not work. In some chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, this method helps to determine to what extent the small intestine is affected, or shows the result from the treatment already performed.
The technique of endoscopy of the stomach
Description of the protocol of endoscopy of the stomach
When endoscopy of the stomach description of the protocol should contain the name of the medical center, endoscopic cabinet and or separation. All personal data about the patient, including: gender, age, separation, ward, category should be noted. Moreover, the apparatus and time of the study, and sometimes the date, should be indicated. The number of the study, the nature of the procedure (planned or urgent, primary or secondary), the proposed method of premedication, anesthesia should be put. If any transendoscopic interventions have been performed, it is necessary to describe them in detail. If the endoscopic examination was performed under general anesthesia, it is important to indicate the composition of the anesthesia team and the method of anesthesia that was used.
When carrying out an endoscopic examination for emergency indications, the description of the protocol must necessarily contain not only the time and procedure start-up, but also the date and conclusions of the endoscopic study protocol.
In the descriptive part, all the examined departments should be described as completely and objectively as possible: the esophagus (including cardiac pulp), the stomach and the duodenum. "Important" and "unimportant" items should not be. In addition, the evaluation parameters, for example, the lumen of the organ, its contents, the condition of the inner surface of the wall, its elasticity is a very important point in endoscopy of the stomach in the description of the protocol. It is also necessary to give a complete description of the motor activity of the organ, to describe the changes, whether they are flat or deep, protruding or not. If focal lesions are detected, for any of them it is necessary to cite the characteristics of such parameters as quantity, location, size, characteristic of the base, edge surrounding the mucous membrane.
In the description of the protocol, it is necessary to use a single terminology. All definitions and terms should allow to establish visually this disease. At the same time, the protocol descriptions for endoscopy of the stomach should be simple and easily readable.
The final part of the protocol should contain a concise conclusion of the results of endoscopy of the stomach. It is worth remembering that the endoscopic conclusion is not the final diagnosis. In addition, it is always important to write recommendations to the doctor in charge or the on-duty medical team on the further management of the patient, as well as the need for additional or repeated procedures.
The cost of endoscopy of the stomach
As a result of the analysis, the doctor and the patient receive the necessary data on the state of the entire digestive tract. Only this procedure makes it possible to fully establish the existing problems in the stomach. With endoscopy of the stomach, the price will vary depending on the medical center itself. Basically they are all private. But in state polyclinics it is also possible to do this. After carrying out this research, a person receives not only the results of their tests, but also detailed recommendations of the doctor, as well as a video recording of the survey.
With endoscopy of the stomach, the price does not frighten the person who decided to undergo the examination. It is accessible and affordable. But it is advisable not to engage in smoking before starting the study, in order not to cancel the results.
It is worth telling those who wish to do gastric endoscopy in the future, that at the moment there are such technologies that allow carrying out endoscopy of the stomach when a person sleeps. During this procedure, a person simply falls asleep, and waking up does not feel any discomfort and any unpleasant sensations. An anesthesiologist plays an important role in this process, which takes the patient to a 10-minute drug-induced sleep with the help of special medications. They can not be attributed to narcotic analgesics. In this case, with endoscopy of the stomach, the price will be slightly higher than in the usual procedure. This amount will include both the cost of drugs for anesthesia, and the services of an anesthesiologist. In some institutions, this amount coincides with the price of the very endoscopy of the stomach.
It is desirable for every person, whose age does not exceed 40 years, to undergo an endoscopy of the stomach once a year in order to prevent certain diseases of the stomach. People with esophagitis, gastritis, etc. It is recommended to do endoscopy at least 2 times a year. Modern medical institutions carry out endoscopic examination of the stomach. Its price will be from 200 to 1000 UAH. Varying will depend on the patient's complaints, equipment, medical center and the experience of the doctor who decides to lead it.
Reviews about endoscopy of the stomach
No ultrasound, no x-ray can give such detailed and unmistakable results as endoscopy. Pulmonology, urology, gynecology, gastroenterology - these are the areas where endoscopy is widely used. This method helps to examine the esophagus (esophagoscopy), stomach (gastroscopy), duodenum (duodenoscopy) and colon (colonoscopy). The device, the endoscope makes it possible not only to scrupulously see the internal picture of the body, but also to make a biopsy, which consists in analyzing a piece of affected tissue that is taken in order to understand whether there are alarming signs that threaten human life or not. If dangerous degeneration of cells is detected in the early stages, then it is possible to avoid the sad consequences. The main thing at the time to see a doctor. At the first stages with any, even the most terrible disease can be managed.
Therefore, with endoscopy of the stomach, reviews are only positive. For the sake of his health, a person will not be afraid to do it. Especially this is not as scary as it seems at first. Always scary happens the first time. It is better to survive the long preparatory procedures on the eve, the excitement, unpleasant sensations when swallowing the tube and after, then they suffer from the treatment of a prolonged disease. 5-10 minutes of worry and all, the results of your health you already have in your hands. Reviews for endoscopy of the stomach may be different, but all are happy that they have passed it and are now calm for their health, because they can manage it themselves.
The main condition is to successfully pass the endoscopy of the stomach - this is the mood. Patients can facilitate their own research if they breathe deeply and smoothly, relax, are not afraid and swallow quietly, but at the same time, without spitting out the tube, and as soon as possible make all the doctor's instructions. It's like when studying on driving or during childbirth. Listen to the doctor's team and then everything will turn out in the best possible way. In general, who is afraid of doing endoscopy of the stomach, people's feedback can help. They contain their impressions and advice.