Digestive Procedures & Tests

An endoscopy uses a thin flexible tube with a camera to look at the upper digestive tract (food pipe, stomach, first part of small intestine). It's used for persistent reflux, unexplained upper abdominal pain, vomiting blood, difficulty swallowing, or to biopsy suspicious areas. It takes 10-15 minutes, usually under light sedation, and you go home the same day.

Endoscopy looks at the upper GI tract from the mouth down. Colonoscopy looks at the large intestine from below, usually to investigate blood in stool, bowel changes, or as a colon cancer screening from age 45-50. Colonoscopy requires 24 hours of bowel preparation (usually a laxative solution), which many people find worse than the procedure itself. Both are done under sedation and take 30-60 minutes.

Both are done under sedation — most patients don't remember the procedure. You may have some throat discomfort after endoscopy or bloating after colonoscopy. Serious complications (bleeding, perforation) are rare — less than 1 in 1000. Choose a doctor and centre with experience: high-volume centres have lower complication rates.

For endoscopy: no food for 6-8 hours, no water for 2 hours before. For colonoscopy: low-fibre diet for 2-3 days before, clear liquids the day before, and a bowel-prep solution taken the evening and early morning before. Follow the exact instructions from your doctor — inadequate prep means missed findings and a repeat procedure.

During endoscopy or colonoscopy, doctors can biopsy suspicious areas, remove polyps, treat bleeding, or dilate strictures — all in the same session. Biopsy results take 3-7 days. Removing a polyp during colonoscopy is standard and often prevents cancer down the road. The doctor will explain findings the same day and give you a written report.