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Gastroscopy is an examination of the upper gastrointestinal tract (stomach and duodenum), performed by physicians specialising in internal medicine and surgeons using an endoscope, an instrument that allows the inside of the organ being examined to be viewed. When examining the stomach, this instrument is called a gastroscope – the name comes from a combination of the Greek words ‘gastro’ (stomach) and ‘scopy’ (from ‘skopeo’, meaning ‘I look’).
What is gastroscopy used for?
It guarantees a clear view for the doctor during the examination and the patient’s safety. After inserting the gastroscope into the gastrointestinal tract, the doctor carefully examines, in turn: the oesophagus, the cardia (the junction between the oesophagus and stomach), the entire stomach, the pylorus (the junction between the stomach and duodenum) and the duodenum. The doctor assesses the appearance of the mucous membrane and the elasticity of the walls, looking for ulcers, erosions, polyps, tumours, diverticula, hernias, narrowing, deformities, etc. Sometimes the doctor finds and removes foreign bodies, including undissolved tablets, fruit stones, bezoars (undigested plant material compacted into a ball – rarely found in Poland), or accidentally or deliberately swallowed objects, such as nails, razor blades, rings, etc. The doctor can also remove surgical sutures left after stomach surgery or a fish bone embedded in the wall of the oesophagus.
The most important advantage of gastroscopy is that the doctor can see almost the entire surface of the oesophagus, stomach and duodenum, take tissue samples and observe changes occurring in the organs being examined. Tissue samples are obtained using tiny forceps, which pinch the surface of the mucous membrane to take small samples (the size of a grain of rice) for examination under a microscope. This procedure is almost painless for the patient, and the stomach lining regenerates quickly. Examination of tissue samples taken during gastroscopy has enabled cancerous changes to be detected in many people early enough for surgery to be possible.
During the examination, bleeding from ulcers, blood vessels and erosions can also be stopped, avoiding risky and physically demanding surgery. A polyp situated in the stomach can also be removed by inserting a flexible wire loop into the biopsy channel and placing it like a lasso around the protruding polyp. Once the polyp’s stalk has been grasped close to its base, a diathermy current is passed through the loop, cutting off the polyp while preventing excessive bleeding. This procedure is painless and, if it has gone as planned, the patient can go home.
Indications for gastroscopy
The indications for gastroscopy are therefore very broad, ranging from upper abdominal pain that may suggest abnormalities in the initial part of the gastrointestinal tract to the diagnosis and monitoring of treatment for peptic ulcer disease, cancer and bleeding.
Contraindications
Gastroscopy is an invasive examination, meaning that it involves breaching tissue integrity and carrying out certain procedures inside the human body. There is therefore always a possibility of complications, although their number decreases each year thanks to increasingly advanced equipment and the growing skills of the doctors performing the examination.
Preparing for gastroscopy
To ensure that you are properly prepared for the examination, please read the following information and recommendations carefully.
- The examination will be performed under local anaesthesia (the back of the throat will be numbed)
- Please bring any medical records you have and show them to the doctor before the examination, e.g. hospital discharge summaries, reports from previous endoscopic examinations, ECG, echocardiography, etc. Patients should know the exact names and doses of the medicines they take or have a list of them.
- b) People taking stomach medicines ( Polprazol, Controloc and others) should stop taking these medicines 14 days before the examination.
- a) People taking medicines that reduce blood clotting such as: – Acenocumarol, Sintrom, Ticlid should stop taking them ONLY with the agreement of their treating doctor, who should prescribe low-molecular-weight heparin instead – Aspiryna, Acard, Acesan, etc. can be stopped by the patient without consulting a doctor 7 days before the examination.
- People with diabetes should consult their doctor about how to prepare for the examination and inform our centre’s reception staff that they have diabetes.
- If the examination takes place before noon, on the day of the examination, until it has been performed, eating any food or drinking any fluids is NOT ALLOWED. If the examination takes place in the afternoon – have a starch-thickened fruit dessert (kisiel) or jelly for breakfast, with weak tea or water. Then remain fasting until the examination.
- People with conditions requiring regular, ongoing medication (e.g. for high blood pressure, heart disease, epilepsy and others) should take their morning dose on the day of the examination with a small amount of water.
- Pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers should consult their doctor about how to prepare for the examination.
- People who need reading glasses are asked to bring them along.
- The scheduled examination time may change because the duration of procedures is difficult to predict.
PLEASE BRING THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS WHEN YOU ARRIVE FOR ADMISSION:
National identity card (if you do not have a national identity card, another identity document
containing the patient’s PESEL number).
Description of the examination
In the gastroscopy room, at the patient’s express request, their throat is numbed with lignocaine spray, and they are asked to lie on their left side on the endoscopy table, with their head resting on a small pillow so that it is aligned with the length of the body. A plastic mouthguard is placed between the teeth to protect the gastroscope from being accidentally bitten. The doctor then passes the tip of the gastroscope over the tongue into the throat and asks the patient to swallow, allowing it to be advanced into the oesophagus. At this point, the patient’s only task is to lie calmly and breathe steadily. There is no need to worry about gagging, belching or saliva flowing from the mouth – these are normal. After gastroscopy, the patient should rest for a few minutes in the waiting room and can then go home. Do not eat immediately after the examination, as the throat is still numb and the swallowing reflex cannot be fully controlled. This usually wears off after about 30 minutes. If tissue samples are taken for testing, follow the doctor’s recommendations.
Examination results
The endoscopy report is provided shortly after the procedure. The doctor also gives recommendations for further care. After gastroscopy, the patient should not eat or drink for one hour, as their throat is numb and they may choke.
Gastroscopy is available in many cities in Poland.
Forms to download
- Authorisation form for releasing the examination report to another person or sending it by email (document in Polish)
- Gastroscopy preparation instructions (document in Polish)
- Patient declaration form before gastroscopy (document in Polish)
