Endoscopy typically refers to looking inside the body for medical reasons using an endoscope — an instrument used to examine the interior of a hollow organ or cavity of the body. Unlike most other medical imaging devices, endoscopes are inserted directly into the organ. There are several types of traditional endoscopy. Those using natural body openings include upper endoscopy, gastroscopy, enteroscopy, colonoscopy, and sigmoidoscopy. Endoscopies are usually performed under sedation to assure patient comfort. In recent years, newer forms of endoscopy have been developed where tubes are not inserted directly into the body.
Virtual endoscopy is really an imaging test, not an endoscopy procedure. It uses a special CT scan to look at the inside surfaces of organs such as the lungs (virtual bronchoscopy) or colon (virtual colonoscopy or CT colonography). The patient must still prepare for the test by using medications and laxatives to clean out the colon to get good pictures during a virtual colonoscopy. Virtual endoscopy has some advantages over standard endoscopy — nothing is put into the body and no drugs are needed for the test. However, the doctor cannot take biopsy samples or remove growths during the procedure. If something abnormal is found, the patient may still need a standard endoscopy
Capsule endoscopy. Doctors can see a lot of the digestive tract using upper endoscopy or colonoscopy. But it is more difficult to see the 20 feet or so of small intestine in this way. Capsule endoscopy provides a new option — a person swallows a capsule that contains a light source and a tiny camera (about the size of a large vitamin pill). Like any other pill, the capsule goes through the stomach and into the small intestine. It travels through the small intestine, which usually takes about eight hours, and takes thousands of pictures. These pictures are sent to a device worn around the person’s waist, while he or she goes on with normal daily activities. The pictures can then be downloaded onto a computer, where the doctor can look at them as a video. Like food, the capsule passes out of the body and is flushed away. This technique helps find the source of bleeding, pain, or other symptoms involving the small intestine but it is not as useful for looking closely at the colon or other parts of the body.
This article is an update of a previous post.