Gastroscopy
A gastroscopy is a test that looks at the inside of your food pipe (oesophagus), stomach and the first part of your small intestine (small bowel).
What is a gastroscopy?
A doctor or specialist nurse (endoscopist) does the test. They use a long flexible tube which has a tiny camera and light at the end. They pass the tube through your mouth and throat into your stomach. This tube is called a gastroscope or endoscope.
You may also hear this test called an endoscopy or oesophago gastric duodenoscopy (OGD).
You usually have this test in the endoscopy department at the hospital. You may choose to have medicine to help you relax for the test and it may make you drowsy. This is called sedation. If you have sedation, a friend or family member will need to take you home and stay with you overnight.
Why do I need a gastroscopy?
You might have a gastroscopy to find out the cause of symptoms such as:
- abnormal bleeding
- indigestion or heartburn that doesn’t go away with medicines or keeps coming back
- low levels of iron (iron deficiency anaemia)
- difficulty or painful swallowing
- losing weight without trying to
- regularly feeling or being sick
- having blood in your sick
- blood in your poo or passing black poo
During the test your endoscopist takes samples of any abnormal looking areas. This is called a biopsy. They send the samples to the laboratory to be looked at under a microscope.
If you have 
you will have regular gastroscopies. This is to check for any changes to cells in the lining of your oesophagus.
Preparing for your gastroscopy
You usually have written information from the endoscopy department explaining how to prepare for your gastroscopy. It’s important that you read and follow the instructions. There is usually a number to call if you have any questions.
You might have blood tests beforehand to check your blood levels and how well your blood clots.
Tell your doctor if you're taking medicines that changes how your blood clots. This includes:
- warfarin or heparin
- aspirin
- clopidogrel
- apixaban or rivaroxaban
- ticagrelor
Your doctor will tell you if you need to stop taking these or any other medicines for a while before your gastroscopy. For example, you might need to stop taking some of your usual indigestion medicines before the test.
You can't eat for 6 hours before the test, but you might be able to drink sips of water up to 2 hours beforehand. The instructions may be different depending on the hospital where you have your gastroscopy.
Talk to your doctor if not eating could be a problem for you. For example, if you have diabetes.
What happens?
Most people have a gastroscopy as an outpatient, which means you go home the same day. The test usually takes up to about 15 minutes. But expect to be in the hospital for several hours. This allows time to prepare for the test and any recovery afterwards.
In the endoscopy department
When you arrive you will meet the reception staff and your nurse. Your nurse will ask about your medical history and any allergies you might have. They also check your blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen levels.
Your nurse or endoscopist explains the procedure and asks you to sign a consent form. This is a good time to ask any questions you might have.
Some endoscopy units may ask you to change into a hospital gown. But you can usually have the test in your own clothes. You may need to remove any head coverings while you have the test.
You may choose to have sedation for the test. This makes you drowsy. Or you may have local anaesthetic spray to numb your throat.
If you have any false teeth or wear glasses you need to remove them for the test. Your nurse puts a plastic guard in your mouth to protect your teeth from the gastroscope.
This animation shows how you have a gastroscopy. It is around two and a half minutes long. You can watch this animation in Polish or Urdu at the bottom of this page.
An endoscopy, also called a gastroscopy, is a test to look at the inside of your food pipe, stomach and the first part of your bowel.
You may have this test to find out the cause of symptoms such as lasting indigestion, difficulty in swallowing or bleeding from the stomach.
Your stomach needs to be empty for the test so don’t eat or drink for 6 hours beforehand.
An endoscopy takes around 15 minutes but expect to be in the hospital for several hours. This allows time to prepare for the test and any recovery time afterwards.
If you need an interpreter at your appointment, let the hospital know in advance.
First a nurse will talk to you about what to expect and take your blood pressure, pulse and temperature.
Just before the test a specialist doctor or nurse, called an endoscopist, sprays the back of your throat to numb it.
You may choose to also have sedation. This makes you relaxed and you may feel sleepy.
Your nurse puts a plastic guard into your mouth. Then the endoscopist puts a thin flexible tube into your mouth and down your throat.
This is uncomfortable and may make you gag for a short time. Concentrating on slow deep breathing helps. Raise your hand if you want them to stop at any point.
On the end of the tube is a light and a camera which sends pictures to a monitor.
If they see any abnormal areas they take a tissue sample – called a biopsy. You won’t feel any pain.
After the test, you may feel bloated for a few hours and your throat may be sore for a day or two.
You can usually leave shortly after the test if you’ve only had the numbing spray. But you can’t eat or drink until you can swallow normally again – this can take about an hour.
If you’ve had sedation, you may feel tired or dizzy for a short time. You normally stay in the recovery area for about an hour. You may not remember much about having the test.
You need a friend or family member to take you home and stay with you overnight. After 24 hours, the sedation will have worn off and you can carry on with normal activities.
Your doctor gives you any biopsy results a few weeks later.
For more information, visit cruk.org/tests
Having the test without sedation
Your endoscopist sprays the back of your throat with local anaesthetic. This is to numb it and make it easier to swallow the tube. This may make you cough, your eyes may water and it may taste bitter.
You then lie on your left side.
It takes a few minutes for your throat to go numb. Your endoscopist passes the gastroscope into your mouth and down your throat to the . The tube is slightly bigger than a pen and will be uncomfortable but shouldn’t be painful.
They ask you to swallow as the tube goes down. They can see the images from the gastroscope on a television screen. They may put a small amount of air into the tube to help them see your oesophagus, stomach and more clearly. This might make you feel like burping.
Your endoscopist takes biopsies through the gastroscope of any abnormal areas. This isn't painful.
At the end of the test, your endoscopist gently removes the gastroscope.
Having the test with sedation to make you drowsy
You may have the local anaesthetic spray to numb your throat. You then lie down on the couch.
Your nurse puts a very small tube into a vein in your arm. This is called a cannula. They inject the sedation into the cannula. It takes a few minutes for you to become relaxed and drowsy. You are still able to follow instructions from your endoscopist and nurse.
You have oxygen through a small plastic tube with prongs that sit just inside your nostrils. They also put a clip on your finger to check your oxygen levels and heart rate.
Your endoscopist then passes the gastroscope into your mouth and down your throat to the oesophagus as explained above. They can see images on a television screen and take biopsies of any abnormal areas.
They gently remove the gastroscope at the end of the test.
They send the biopsies to the laboratory to be looked at by a .
After your gastroscopy
Your nurse or endoscopist will talk to you about how the test went. They will tell you if they took any biopsies and when to expect the results.
You might have some bloating and discomfort after the gastroscopy. This usually lasts for a few hours.
If you haven’t had sedation, you can usually go home shortly after having the test. You won't be able to eat or drink until the local anaesthetic spray has worn off. This takes about an hour.
If you had sedation, you stay in the endoscopy department for an hour or two to recover. Your nurse removes the cannula before you leave.
You may not remember much (if anything) about the test. You need a friend or relative to take you home and stay overnight. For 24 hours after having sedation, you shouldn't:
- drive
- drink alcohol
- operate heavy machinery
- sign any important documents
Possible risks
A gastroscopy is a very safe procedure. Your nurse will tell you who to contact if you have any problems after the test. Your doctor will make sure the benefits of having a gastroscopy outweigh the possible risks. They will tell you who to contact if you have any problems after your test.
Some of the risks include:
Bleeding
If you have a biopsy you may have a small amount of bleeding. This usually stops on its own. If it doesn’t you might need to go into hospital to stop the bleeding.
Sore throat
This is common after having an endoscopy and lasts a few days. Contact the hospital if you have severe pain in your throat, chest or tummy (abdomen).
Infection
There is a small risk that after a biopsy the wound can become infected. If you have a temperature, feel hot and cold or shivery, or feel generally unwell, you should contact your GP.
Damage to teeth
There’s a small chance the gastroscope can damage your teeth during the test. The mouth guard helps prevent this from happening.
Chest infection
There’s a small risk of breathing in spit (secretions) that you would normally swallow. This is because your throat is numb or from the sedation making you sleepy. Your nurse protects your airway by suctioning away any secretions during the procedure.
Reaction to the sedation
Occasionally sedation can cause problems with your breathing, heart rate and blood pressure. The risks are higher in older people and those with lung or heart problems. Your nurse closely watches you for any problems during the test, so they can treat it quickly.
Tear or hole (perforation)
There’s a very small risk of the gastroscope causing a tear in the lining of your oesophagus, stomach or duodenum. You might need an operation to repair this.
Getting your results
You might get some results before you go home. It takes a little longer for your biopsy results. You should get your biopsy results within 1 to 2 weeks, but it may take longer. The specialist doctor at the hospital might give you your results. Or you might see your GP.
Contact the doctor who arranged the test if you haven’t heard anything after a couple of weeks.
Waiting for test results can be a very worrying time. You might have contact details for a specialist nurse. You can get in touch with them for information and support if you need to. It may help to talk to a close friend or relative about how you feel.
You can contact the Cancer Research UK information nurses on freephone 0808 800 4040 for general information and support. This service is open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Gastroscopy video in Polish and Urdu
We have made the following translated videos with Thames Valley Cancer Alliance.
Polish
This animation shows how you have a gastroscopy. It is less than 3 minutes long.
Endoskopia (zwana również gastroskopią) to badanie umożliwiające obejrzenie wnętrza przełyku, żołądka i początkowego odcinka jelita.
Zazwyczaj wykonuje się to badanie w celu ustalenia przyczyny objawów, takich jak długotrwała niestrawność, trudności w połykaniu lub krwawienie z żołądka.
Przed badaniem należy mieć pusty żołądek, dlatego nie wolno jeść ani pić przez 6 godzin przed badaniem.
Endoskopia trwa około 15 minut, ale należy liczyć się z kilkugodzinnym pobytem w szpitalu. Pozwoli to na przygotowanie się do badania oraz regenerację po jego zakończeniu.
Jeśli potrzebujesz tłumacza podczas Twojej wizyty, poinformuj o tym szpital z wyprzedzeniem.
W pierwszej kolejności pielęgniarka poinformuje Cię o przebiegu badania, a następnie dokona pomiaru ciśnienia tętniczego, tętna i temperatury ciała.
Tuż przed badaniem lekarz specjalista lub pielęgniarka (zwani endoskopistami) znieczulą tylną część gardła za pomocą sprayu.
Możesz również zdecydować się na sedację, która wprowadza w stan odprężenia i senności.
Pielęgniarka włoży Ci do ust plastikową osłonę. Następnie endoskopista wprowadzi cienką, elastyczną rurkę do jamy ustnej i gardła.
To uczucie może być nieprzyjemne i przez chwilę wywoływać odruch wymiotny. Wtedy warto skupić się na spokojnym, głębokim oddychaniu. Pamiętaj, że możesz w każdej chwili podnieść rękę, jeśli chcesz, żeby przerwano badanie.
Na końcu rurki znajduje się światełko i kamera, która przesyła obrazy do monitora.
Jeśli specjaliści zauważą jakieś nieprawidłowości, pobiorą próbkę tkanek – jest to tzw. biopsja. Nie poczujesz żadnego bólu.
Po badaniu możesz odczuwać wzdęcia przez kilka godzin, a gardło może być podrażnione przez dzień lub dwa.
Jeśli zastosowano jedynie spray znieczulający, zwykle można opuścić gabinet wkrótce po badaniu. Nie wolno jednak jeść ani pić, dopóki przełykanie nie wróci do normy. Może to potrwać około godziny.
W przypadku zastosowania sedacji mogą wystąpić przejściowe objawy, takie jak senność lub zawroty głowy. Po zakończeniu procedury pacjent zwykle pozostaje pod obserwacją przez około godzinę. Jest możliwe, że nie będziesz wiele pamiętać z badania.
Ważnym jest, aby ktoś z rodziny lub znajomych odwiózł Cię do domu i pozostał z Tobą przez noc.
Po 24 godzinach działanie sedacji ustępuje i można bezpiecznie powrócić do codziennych czynności. Wyniki biopsji zostaną Ci przekazane przez lekarza po kilku tygodniach.
Więcej informacji można znaleźć na stronie cruk.org/tests
Urdu
This animation showing how you have a gastroscopy is around 3 minutes long.
.اینڈوسکوپی، جسے گیسٹروسکوپی بھی کہا جاتا ہے، ایک ایسا ٹیسٹ ہے جس کا مقصد آپ کی غذائی نالی، معدے اور آپ کی آنت کے پہلے حصے کو دیکھنا ہوتا ہے
.یہ ٹیسٹ مختلف علامات کی وجہ تلاش کرنے کے لیے کیا جا سکتا ہے جیسے نہ ختم ہونے والی بد ہضمی، نگلنے میں مشکل یا معدے سے خون بہنا
ٹیسٹ کے لیے آپ کے معدے کا خالی ہونا ضروری ہے
.اس لیے ٹیسٹ سے 6 گھنٹے پہلے تک کچھ نہ کھائیں یا پیئیں
.اینڈوسکوپی میں تقریباً 15 منٹ لگتے ہیں، لیکن آپ کئی گھنٹوں تک اسپتال میں رہنے کی توقع کریں. اس عرصے کے دوران ٹیسٹ کے لیے تیار ہونے اور ٹیسٹ کے بعد بحالی کا وقت ملتا ہے
.اگر آپ کو اپنی اپائنٹمنٹ کے دوران ترجمان کی ضرورت ہو تو اسپتال والوں کو پہلے سے بتائیں
.پہلے ایک نرس آپ کو بتائے گی کہ ٹیسٹ میں کیا ہو گا، پھر وہ آپ کا بلڈ پریشر، نبض اور درجہ حرارت چیک کرے گی
.ٹیسٹ سے ذرا پہلے، ایک ماہر ڈاکٹر یا نرس، جسے اینڈوسکوپسٹ کہا جاتا ہے، آپ کے گلے کے پچھلے حصے کو سُن کرنے کے لیے اس پر اسپرے کرے گی
کا بھی انتخاب کر سکتے ہیں. اس سے آپ کو سکون محسوس ہوتا ہے اور آپ کو غنودگی آپ مسکن دوا
(sedation).آپ مسکن دوا کا بھی انتخاب کر سکتے ہیں
.اس سے آپ کو سکون محسوس ہوتا ہے اور آپ کو غنودگی بھی محسوس ہو سکتی ہے
.آپ کی نرس آپ کے منہ میں ایک پلاسٹک گارڈ ڈالتی ہے. پھر اینڈوسکوپسٹ ایک پتلی لچک دار نالی آپ کے منہ اور گلے میں ڈالتا ہے
.یہ غیر آرام دہ عمل ہوتا ہے اور اس سے آپ کو تھوڑی دیر کے لیے غوطہ لگ سکتا ہے. آہستہ اور گہری سانس پر توجہ دینے سے مدد ملتی ہے. اگر آپ چاہتے ہیں کہ اینڈوسکوپسٹ کسی وقت رک جائے تو ہاتھ کھڑا کریں
.نالی کے آخری سرے پر ایک لائٹ اور کیمرہ ہوتا ہے جو ایک مانیٹر پر تصویریں بھیجتا ہے
.اگر انہیں کوئی ابنارمل جگہ نظر آئے تو وہ ٹشو کا نمونہ لیتے ہیں، جسے بایوپسی کہا جاتا ہے. آپ کو درد محسوس نہیں ہو گا
.ٹیسٹ کے بعد، آپ کو کچھ گھنٹوں کے لیے پیٹ پھولا ہوا محسوس ہو سکتا ہے اور ہو سکتا ہے آپ کا گلا ایک دو دن تک تکلیف میں رہے
.اگر صرف سُن کرنے والا اسپرے کیا گیا تھا تو آپ عموماً ٹیسٹ کے تھوڑی دیر بعد جا سکتے ہیں. لیکن جب تک آپ نارمل انداز میں دوبارہ نگل نہیں سکتے تب تک آپ کھا یا پی نہیں سکتے – اس میں تقریباً ایک گھنٹہ لگ سکتا ہے
.اگر آپ نے مسکن دوا لی تھی تو آپ کو تھوڑی دیر تک تھکاوٹ یا سر چکرا نا محسوس ہو سکتا ہے. آپ بحالی ایریا میں عموماً ایک گھںٹے تک رہتے ہیں. ہو سکتا ہے آپ کو ٹیسٹ کیے جانے کے بارے میں زیادہ یاد نہ ہو
.آپ کو کسی دوست یا خاندان کے فرد کی ضرورت ہوتی ہے جو آپ کو گھر لے کر جائے اور رات آپ کے پاس گزارے
.گھنٹوں کے بعد، مسکن دوا کا اثر ختم ہو جائے گا اور آپ نارمل سرگرمیاں انجام دے سکیں گے. آپ کا ڈاکٹر آپ کو بائیوپسی کے نتائج کچھ ہفتوں کے بعد دے گا
ملاحظہ کریں۔ cruk.org/tests مزید معلومات کے لیے
More information
We have more information on tests, treatment and support if you have been diagnosed with cancer.
