Gastroscopy is a widely practiced examination in France. Most often performed under general anesthesia, it is risk-free and only lasts a few hours. Why Doctor tells you more about this procedure.
Gastroscopy, or gastric endoscopy, is the gold standard for exploring the esophagus, stomach and duodenum, the initial segment of the small intestine. In France, this analysis is very frequently carried out, whether as part of a screening to detect possible cancerous attacks or to better understand the digestive or epigastric pain of a patient and to be able to direct him towards an appropriate treatment. How is the exam going?
First of all, in case of anesthesiaas is most often the case in France, it is essential to see the doctor before the operation in order to make sure that there are no contraindications of an allergic nature, such as seeing the stomach fluid back up into the lungs, for example.
Then, “to properly examine the stomach, it must be empty: you must have fasted on all solids for six hours and on all liquids for four hours. After arriving a little early at the endoscopy center to manage the administrative documents, you will be taken to the room where the examination takes place, which takes place lying down, lying on your left side”, explains Doctor Philippe Godeberge, gastro -enterologist in Paris, in the program Medical Frequency.
Too short anesthesia to cause side effects
“The specialist’s assistant will pass a small plastic ring between the teeth to protect them, and it is through this ring that the fiberscope will be introduced. Just before starting, the anesthesiologist or his assistant will introduce you to a product which will act quickly (…) With a tube fitted with a camera, a gastroenterologist will explore your stomach through your mouth. He will have to introduce the endoscope to the back of the throat, pass the esophagus to reach the stomach and then explore its internal surface”, he continues.
“Going through the throat is often not very pleasant and as a good examination lasts about ten minutes, not everyone tolerates it well. The point of anesthesia is to make it all very comfortable. In case of medical necessity, this comfort will also allow the operation to be repeated without fear. This general anesthesia is not a deep anesthesia, as for a surgery. It is short, there is no need for hospitalization but it is effective enough that you do not feel anything. Indeed, it is not prolonged enough to trigger the side effects such as nausea, prolonged drowsiness or a headache”, explains the doctor.
When the exam is over, you will be taken to a rest room where you will end up waking up quietly while having a small snack so as not to leave the establishment with an empty stomach.
Complications during the exam are extremely rare.
Before you leave, however, the gastroenterologist will come and explain the results of your examination to you. “In the vast majority of cases he will have taken small samples of the mucosa, that’s the name of the surface wall of the stomach, that’s called a biopsy. But they have not necessarily been done because the doctor is worried, it is a systematic procedure because certain medical details are only visible under the microscope and require the precise study of the biopsies”, explains Doctor Godeberge. In which case, you will receive the results a few weeks later.
After the examination, you may have a very bad stomach ache: the air blown into the stomach during the endoscopic exploration can indeed cause a feeling of bloating, gas and referrals. However, these symptoms should not last more than a few hours.
For this reason, but also because of the anesthesia, it will be impossible for you to work directly after a gastroscopy. You will then have to find someone to take you home. “Even if you feel in great shape, do not drive, your reflexes are not the same and in the event of an accident, your responsibility could be involved”, explains Doctor Godeberge. Also, avoid sleeping alone the night after anesthesia.
If all these precautions can be scary, don’t worry, fibroscopy is not a risky examination. “Serious problems are very rare and can happen if maneuvers are made during the examination, such as the removal of a polyp or tumor. The tearing of the stomach during a standard examination is extremely rare”, continues the gastroenterologist. And to insist “You are more likely to have a car accident (on the way to the hospital) than gastroscopy.”
If several hours after the operation you suffer from abdominal or chest pain, vomiting, chills or fever, contact the doctor who performed the examination immediately.
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