An endoscope is a small, flexible tube with a light and a lens or tiny video camera on the end used to look into the esophagus, stomach, duodenum, colon, rectum, or other organs. It can also be used to take tissue from the body for testing or to take color photographs of the inside of the body.
Endoscopies are typically used to investigate symptoms of the digestive system or confirm a diagnosis for conditions such as anemia, bleeding, inflammation and cancers of the digestive system.
Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (also called EGD or upper endoscopy)
An EGD (upper endoscopy) is a procedure that allows the doctor to examine the inside of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. A thin, flexible, lighted tube, called an endoscope, is guided into the mouth and throat, then into the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. The endoscope allows the doctor to view the inside of this area of the body, as well as to insert instruments through a scope for the removal of a sample of tissue for biopsy (if necessary).
