Gastroscopy for
Stomach Diseases

A gastroscopy is a procedure where a thin, flexible tube called an endoscope is used to look inside the oesophagus (gullet), stomach and first part of the small intestine (duodenum).

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It's also sometimes referred to as an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.

The endoscope has a light and a camera at one end. The camera sends images of the inside of your oesophagus, stomach and duodenum to a monitor.

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Why perform a gastroscopy?

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A gastroscopy can be used to:

• Investigate problems such as difficulty swallowing (dysphagia) or persistent abdominal (tummy) pain

• Diagnose conditions such as stomach ulcers or gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD)

• Treat conditions such as bleeding ulcers, a blockage in the oesophagus, non-cancerous growths (polyps) or small cancerous tumours 

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A gastroscopy used to check symptoms or confirm a diagnosis is known as a diagnostic gastroscopy. A gastroscopy used to treat a condition is known as a therapeutic gastroscopy.