With a gastroscopy, a thin flexible tube will be put into your oesophagus (gullet or food pipe). This tube has a camera and a light attached to it, which lets your doctor see anything unusual inside your oesophagus, stomach or duodenum.
Gastroscopy
A gastroscopy uses a flexible tube with a camera and light to look at the upper part of the digestive system. For example, the oesophagus or stomach.
Gastroscopy
Gastroscopy or endoscopy?
You may hear the term 'endoscopy' used to describe this test. Endoscopy just means a scoping test (a test using a tube and a camera) where the tube goes inside your body.
Image courtesy of CRUK / Wikimedia Commons
Before gastroscopy
You will have to fast for a few hours before this test.
Your doctor give you a mild sedative. This will help you feel more relaxed or you may fall asleep. A local anaesthetic will be sprayed onto the back of your throat to numb it.
Sometimes a general anaesthetic is given before the test. If this happens, you may have to stay overnight in hospital.
Having a gastroscopy
Once your throat is numb, your doctor will gently pass the tube into your oesophagus. It can be a bit uncomfortable having the tube down your throat but it doesn’t hurt.
The doctor can look through the tube to check for any abnormal areas. Samples of tissue (biopsies) can also be taken at this time.
The test takes 20-30 minutes.
After gastroscopy
You cannot eat or drink anything for at least 4 hours after the test. This is because your throat will be numb from the anaesthetic.
You may also feel drowsy and sleepy. Or you may not remember much about having the test, if you were sedated. Once the sedation wears off (about an hour), you can go home.
Make sure you arrange for someone to take you home, as you’re not allowed to drive for 24 hours after having sedation.
Are there side-effects / risks?
You might have a sore throat for a couple of days but this will soon clear up. If not, contact your doctor at the hospital.
Tell your doctor if you have any problems like chest pain, bleeding or fever afterwards.
Endoscopy video
Cancer Research UK has a very helpful video on this.
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