Endoscopic care
Diagnostic and Therapeutic Endoscopy
An endoscopy lets me see the inside of your esophagus and stomach directly, instead of guessing from symptoms. In many cases I can treat what I find during the same visit. That is what diagnostic and therapeutic mean.
What it is
An endoscope is a thin flexible tube with a camera and a light on the end. It goes in through the mouth and down the esophagus into the stomach. Nothing cuts through the skin.
Diagnostic means I am looking. I can see inflammation, damage from acid, a hernia, a narrowing, or other changes, and I can take a small tissue sample if one is needed.
Therapeutic means I am treating. Some problems can be handled through the same scope, including widening a narrowed area and other endoscopic treatments. [CLINICAL REVIEW: which therapeutic endoscopic procedures does Dr. Good perform, and how should each be named for patients?]
Who it is for
People with symptoms that need a direct look. Trouble swallowing, food feeling stuck, persistent reflux symptoms, upper abdominal pain, nausea, or unexplained changes in how you are eating.
People being evaluated for reflux or for a metabolic procedure.
People sent by their primary care physician for evaluation of an upper gastrointestinal problem.
What to expect
Before. You will have instructions about when to stop eating and drinking, and about your medications. Follow them exactly, or the procedure may have to be rescheduled.
The day of. You are sedated, so you are comfortable and will not remember it. Breathing is not blocked by the scope. You go home the same day and you will need someone to drive you.
After. Your throat may feel scratchy for a short while. I will go over what I saw. If a tissue sample was taken, we talk again once the results are back.
Common questions
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