Advanced Endoscopy

EvergreenHealth's Gastroenterology & Advanced Endoscopy Care offers you state-of-the-art services and specially trained experts who will work with you to go over your symptoms, ensure you get the right diagnosis and develop a treatment plan that fits your needs.

This includes state-of-the-art endoscopy techniques, using the nonsurgical procedure to diagnose, treat and operate depending on your symptoms and condition.

What is endoscopy?

Endoscopy is a procedure that uses a device called an endoscope, a flexible tube that is normally equipped with a light and a camera.

Depending on what part of your digestive tract your gastroenterologist needs to view or what type of procedure you need to have performed, there are different types of advanced endoscopy that can be performed:

Upper endoscopy: Also called an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), this is when the endoscope passes through your mouth and throat and into the esophagus, giving your doctor a view of your esophagus, stomach and the upper part of your small intestine.

Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ECRP): This special type of endoscopy is used to take pictures of the pancreas, gallbladder and other related areas of the digestive tract. ERCP can also be used to perform stent placements and biopsies.

Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS): Combining an EGD and an ultrasound, EUS helps gather additional information about various parts of your digestive tract using the access of an endoscope and the imagine abilities of an ultrasound.

Why would I need an endoscopy?

Your gastroenterologist will use endoscopy to diagnose and treat a number of conditions and perform various procedures. Some of the more advanced symptoms you may need endoscopy for include complex polyps, cancer, tumors and gastrointestinal bleeding. There are also a number of important treatments your gastroenterologist can perform using an endoscope, like:

• Management of benign and malignant strictures or obstructions in your pancreas, bile duct, esophagus, stomach, duodenum, small bowel, rectum and colon
• Removal of superficial tumors, localized cancer, large and complex polyps
• Minimally invasive endoscopic mucosal resection, which removes lesions from the gastrointestinal tract and can help treat Barrett's Esophagus
• Endoscopic cryotherapy, which is a technique that uses an endoscope to flash freeze cells to destroy diseased tissue in the gastrointestinal tract. This can help treat Barrett's Esophagus and cancer in the esophagus.
• Endoscopic biopsy, which allows your gastroenterologist to take a sample of tissue from organs within your digestive tract like your liver or pancreas to determine overall health and diagnose various conditions.
• Endoscopic necrosectomy, which is an advanced endoscopic outpatient procedure used to remove infected pancreatic tissue, which is cause by acute pancreatitis.
• Transoral incisionless fundoplication (TIF), which is a minimally invasive outpatient treatment to relieve symptoms of moderate to severe gastroesophageal reflux disease.

What happens when I get an endoscopy?

Depending on what type of endoscopy procedure your gastroenterologist needs to perform, preparation will vary. At the very least, fasting will be required, but you may also need to clear your colon of stool using laxatives.

For almost all endoscopies, you'll be provided a sedative that relaxes you and puts you in a light sleep.

Ahead of your endoscopy, your gastroenterologist will go over what you can expect and what will occur during your procedure.