Diagnostic Procedures

Upper GI Endoscopies

An upper endoscopy (also called esophagogastroduodenoscopy or EGD) is a test done by a doctor to examine the esophagus, stomach, and upper intestine for possible causes of problems with your child’s digestive tract. Symptoms that may require an upper endoscopy include:

• Vomiting
• Trouble swallowing
• Trouble growing
• Diarrhea
• Belly pain
• Taking out food, coins or other things that get stuck

What will the procedure involve?

Your child will be given medicine that will help him go to sleep. Then the doctor will use a very narrow, bendable tube with a tiny camera and light on the end which is called endoscope to look inside your child’s body. The doctor may also take a small tissue sample from esophagus or duodenum or both for biopsy to help him/her to find out why your child is not feeling well.

Before the Test

Your child should not eat or drink anything 6 to 8 hours before this test in order to avoid problems with the medicine that will be used to help your child sleep during the procedure. However, if your child is under 1 year of age intravenous fluids will be started.

Enteroscopies

Alternative Names

Small bowel biopsy; Push enteroscopy; Double-balloon enteroscopy; Capsule enteroscopy; Sonde enteroscopy

Definition of Enteroscopy:

Enteroscopy is a procedure used to examine the small intestine (small bowel).

How the test is performed:

A thin, flexible tube that is endoscope is inserted through the mouth or nose and into the upper gastrointestinal tract. During a double-balloon enteroscopy, balloons attached to the endoscope can be inflated to allow the doctor to view a large part of the small intestine.
In a colonoscopy, a flexible tube is inserted through your rectum and colon. The tube usually can reach into the end part of the small intestine (ileum).

Tissue samples removed during enteroscopy are sent to the laboratory for examination.