Upper GI Endoscopies

An upper endoscopy assesses the inside of the body with cameras. Specifically to inspect the lining of your oesophagus, stomach and around the first bend of your small intestine. The technology and equipment used to perform endoscopy have improved considerably in the last 20 years. The tubes and cameras are now flexible and much thinner than the older rigid cameras of the past. This means they are much more comfortable for the patient and can often be performed under local anaesthetic spray. The procedure is usually performed in an endoscopy suite with the help of specially trained nurses. The patient lies on their left hand side in the comfortable position and a mouth guard is used to protect the teeth... And the expensive endoscope. Why might you have an upper endoscopy? There are several reasons why you might need to have an endoscopy. These include investigating symptoms such as swallowing problems (dysphagia), indigestion, acid [...]

An OGD procedure, or test, is short for OesophagoGastroDuodenoscopy which is quite a mouth full to pronounce! This is a special endoscopy which views the: O – oesophagus (also known as the gullet or food pipe) G - gastro (is the medical word for stomach) and D – duodenum (this is the first part of the small bowel) The other name for this procedure is an Upper GI endoscopy – as it examines the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract.  The procedure is carried out in the endoscopy department and patients are advised to stop eating for 6 hours before the test to make sure the stomach is empty. An OGD procedure can be carried out awake with local anaesthetic throat spray.  Although the spray doesn't taste particularly nice (some patient's say it tastes like banana!) it is usually the safest and quickest way to have the procedure.   Sedation can be given for patients who are very [...]