Endoscopy is a nonsurgical procedure performed in order to look into a person’s digestive tract. Using an endoscope, a flexible tube with a light and camera attached to it, we can view pictures of the digestive tract on a TV monitor.

During an Upper GI Endoscopy, an endoscope is easily passed through the mouth and throat and into the esophagus, allowing the doctor to view the esophagus, stomach, and upper part of the small intestine.

Similarly, endoscopes can be passed into the large intestine (colon) through the rectum to examine this area of the intestine. This procedure is called sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy depending on how far up the colon is examined.

A special form of endoscopy procedure called Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography, or ERCP, allows pictures of the pancreas, gallbladder, and related structures to be taken.

Endoscopic Ultrasound or EUS combines upper endoscopy and ultrasound examination to obtain images and information about various parts of the digestive tract