Endoscopy

The digestive endoscopy is the quickest and most effective method of obtaining a diagnosis of digestive disorders. It is currently performed under sedation (if there is no contraindicating illness), enabling the patient to suffer no discomfort.

The examination is conducted using the video endoscope, a flexible tube with an optical system making it possible to see inside the digestive tract on a monitor, which is fed through the mouth (gastroscopy) or the anus (colonoscopy) enabling direct observation of a significant portion of the digestive tract.

If necessary, samples can be taken to determine the gastritis type, the presence of bacteria in the stomach, or to analyse and surgically remove some intestinal lesions. The system also makes it possible to take a gastrointestinal biopsy, in the case of digestive disorders such as gastroesophageal reflux, to control the development of ulcers and dyspepsia and indigestion problems, or for the diagnosis of conditions such as coeliac disease.

With this technique, the development of polyps or lumps can also be controlled. If a polyp is observed, it can be removed (polypectomy) with some special forceps designed for this , to be sent for histological study.

The fibre-optic bronchoscopy is a medical test for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the respiratory tract and the lungs. It is performed using a bronchoscope, a device consisting in a tube with a diameter of around half a centimetre and a very variable length, depending on the age of the patient, which has a video camera inside it. It makes it possible to see clearly inside the respiratory tract on a monitor. The bronchoscope tube also has several channels inside it, through which different instruments can be fed, making it possible to perform diagnostic tests such as biopsies or even to provide treatments such as the cauterisation of bleeding vessels or the removal of polyps.

The most frequent reasons for requesting this test are as follows:

• Identifying the cause of symptoms such as chronic cough, coughing up blood (haemoptysis) or breathing difficulties.
• Taking samples or biopsies of the respiratory tract, the lung or nearby lymph nodes, to study possible respiratory infections, tumours or other lung diseases.
• Diagnosing and assessing the spread of lung cancer.
• Extracting foreign bodies from the respiratory tract.
• Treating bleeding in the respiratory tract,
• Dilating areas of the respiratory tract that have been narrowed by a tumour or other conditions. It enables the placement of a stent, which is like a self-expandable spring which dilates the narrowed area and keeps it open.