When a high digestive endoscopy is done
The most frequent reasons for which an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy or gastroscopy can be requested are the following:
• Study problems of the esophagus such as esophagitis, narrowing of the esophagus or tumors.
• Study stomach problems such as gastritis, gastric ulcers or tumors.
• Study duodenal problems such as a duodenal ulcer.
• Diagnose a hiatus hernia or gastroesophageal reflux.
• Find the cause of vomiting with blood (hematemesis).
• To iron-deficiency anemia (due to lack of iron), when it is suspected that they are due to a chronic loss of blood through the upper digestive tract.
• In the presence of black stools (manes) that are due to the mixture of feces with digested blood caused by a hemorrhage of the upper intestine.
• Find the cause of symptoms such as upper abdominal pain, difficulty swallowing (dysphagia), vomiting, or unexplained weight loss.
• In patients with liver cirrhosis, as this disease produces a thickening of the veins of the esophagus and stomach. These thickenings are called esophageal varicose veins. They have the risk of breaking and bleeding, so they can be controlled by means of upper digestive endoscopy.
• Take samples to diagnose diseases such as celiac disease, infection with Helicobacter pylori (a bacterium closely related to a gastroduodenal ulcer), or digestive tumors.
• Allows access to the exit of the bile duct in the duodenum. There you can inject a contrast to draw the bile and pancreatic way and diagnose diseases at this level. This test is called endoscopic retrograde cholangiography.
Colonoscopy
Colonoscopy is a medical test used to diagnose and treat diseases of the colon (large intestine). It is done by means of the colonoscopy, which is a device consisting of a flexible tube about one centimeter in diameter and between 122 and 183 cm long. The colonoscope is inserted through the anal orifice and can be advanced throughout the colon. It allows seeing the interior of the intestine because it has a video camera at its end whose image is seen through a monitor.
In addition, the tube of the colonoscope has several channels in its interior where different instruments can be inserted, and that allow to perform diagnostic tests such as taking biopsies or even perform treatments such as the removal of intestinal polyps or tumors.
To perform a colonoscopy it is necessary that the intestine is well cleaned of fetal remains. This requires preparation of the colon through laxatives that are taken orally or by means of enemas. These substances are administered during the day or two days prior to the test and produce abundant diarrhea, which is achieved by cleaning the colon.
Reasons to perform a colonoscopy
The most frequent reasons for which a colonoscopy can be requested are the following:
• As a screening test for colon cancer.
• Especially in those people with a family history of colon cancer or in those over 50 years old.
• As a study of episodes of bleeding from the rectum (rectal bleeding) or after the appearance of blood in the stool.
• To study chronic diarrhea.
• In cases of iron deficiency anemia (due to lack of iron) when it is suspected that it is due to chronic bleeding from the colon.
• In cases of unexplained and sudden weight loss that may lead to suspicion of colon cancer.
• To study in more detail any alteration that has appeared in another test that examines the colon called opaque enema.
• To diagnose and control an inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.
• In the study of chronic abdominal pain.
We can Help
If you are considered morbidly obese and have tried unsuccessfully to lose weight with diet and exercise, you may feel that your options are over. You may suffer from conditions related to obesity, such as high blood pressure or cholesterol, diabetes, asthma, sleep apnea or gastroesophageal disease, and you do not seem to be able to keep these conditions in check.
Fortunately, there is hope. Dr. Lopez offers consultations for sleeve gastrectomy in Tijuana or one of his other three locations in Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta. This advanced weight loss procedure has proved extremely effective and has provided dramatic results for the recipients of the surgery – even those who previously believed that they had exhausted all their options.