Slide 1
An endoscope brings light and a camera inside
An endoscope carries a camera and light into an accessible body passage. It lets clinicians inspect surfaces that cannot be seen from outside.
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Upper digestive endoscopy examines the esophagus, stomach and beginning of the small intestine. Different scopes and access routes are used for other regions.
Slide 2
A flexible scope follows bends in the passage
A flexible scope can follow bends in a passage. Its image changes as the tip is positioned and the view is adjusted.
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Seeing a lining differs from imaging through the entire thickness of surrounding tissues. Endoscopy and scans therefore provide complementary kinds of anatomical information.
Slide 3
Instrument channels allow tissue sampling
Channels in an endoscope can carry small instruments. A clinician may obtain a biopsy from an area seen during the examination.
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The visual finding and the later microscopic result answer different questions. A surface appearance can guide sampling without determining everything the tissue analysis will show.
Slide 4
Some tools can treat what the camera reveals
Endoscopic tools can sometimes treat a problem as well as inspect it. The possible intervention depends on the instrument and clinical setting.
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For example, selected bleeding sites can be treated through an endoscope. This changes the instrument from a viewing device into a route for precisely directed action.
Slide 5
The examination covers only what can be reached and seen
Endoscopy shows the areas reached and adequately visualized. Preparation, anatomy and image quality influence the completeness of an examination.
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A report records findings and any limitations. A normal appearance within the examined region is not a claim that every part of the body has been inspected.
Sources
- Upper GI Endoscopy
NIDDK, NIH
- Endoscopy
NHS