What is an endoscopy?
An endoscopy is a procedure where organs inside your body are looked at using an instrument called an endoscope. An endoscope is a long, thin, flexible tube that has a light and camera at one end. Images of the inside of your body are shown on a television screen.
Endoscopy looks inside your body from an opening, most commonly the mouth. An endoscope can also be put inside the body through a small cut (incision) made in the skin when keyhole surgery is being done. This test may have other names depending on the area examined.
Click here to watch a tour of our Endoscopy Unit.
Different types of endoscopy
- A bronchoscopy looks inside your windpipe (trachea) and bronchi (tubes going into lungs)
- A laryngoscopy looks inside the part of the throat called the larynx.
- A nasendoscopy looks through your nostril at the back of the mouth, nose and throat.
- A hysteroscopy looks inside the womb. If there are problems such as irregular bleeding.
- A flexible sigmoidoscopy looks inside the lower part of your large bowel
- A cystoscopy looks inside the bladder if there are problems like urinary incontinence or blood in your pee.
- An OGD (Oesophagogastroduodenoscopy) often called a gastroscopy or gastrointestinal endoscopy looks inside the gullet (oesophagus), stomach and duodenum (the first part of the small bowel)
- A enteroscopy looks further into the small bowel to the jejunum and ileum.
There are also Colonoscopy and Colposcopy which you can find information on the tests and scans page.
Why would I need to have an endoscopy?
An endoscopy can be used to:
- investigate unusual symptoms
- help perform certain types of surgery
- remove a small sample of tissue to be looked at more closely. This is called a biopsy.
After an endoscopy
Most people are ready to go home a couple of hours after their test.
If you have had a sedative:
- You will need someone to collect you from the hospital.
- You should have someone with you for 12 hours.
- You should not drive for 24 hours afterwards.
If you do not have a sedative, you can go home soon after you have had an endoscopy.
