Examination of the oesophagus, stomach and duodenum using a camera (gastroscopy)

You must not eat, drink or smoke for six hours leading up to the examination.

If you are taking blood-thinning medicine (Marcoumar or Marevan) or insulin, the doctor will decide on the ward round on treatment with this medicine.

You are welcome to take your regular medication with half a glass of water up to two hours before the appointment.

A gastroscopy is an examination of the oesophagus, stomach and duodenum. Using a camera the examination can show changes in the lining of the upper digestive tract such as inflammation or ulcers.

The examination is conducted with a flexible camera, which is inserted via the mouth down through the oesophagus and into the stomach and duodenum. It is necessary to blow air into the stomach, which may cause discomfort and a feeling of pressure in the stomach. This is quite harmless. Samples of the lining of the bowel may be taken, which is painless.

The examination itself takes about 5-10 minutes. In addition to this, you can expect time for information both before and after the examination.

A local anaesthetic may be administered to your throat, in which case you must not eat or drink for two hours afterwards.

There are rarely any problems after the examination. You may experience a slight tenderness in your throat, but this will only last a day or two. The bloated sensation in your stomach will disappear in a few hours.

Before leaving the department, the results of the examination will be explained to you. If tissue samples were taken, the results of these will take 3–4 weeks to arrive.