In order to explain to children how the human body works, writers describe situations in which fictional characters travel through the human body, falling into the mouth of a giant, for example.
In the Netherlands in March 2008 a museum was opened, entering which you get inside a person and observe the processes taking place in him. How does the body react to a cheese bun, how does the increase and decrease in acidity occur?
The doctor who does the EGD does this journey every day.
How is EGD done?
FGDS - fibrogastroduodenoscopy, or fibrogastroscopy, FGS - is prescribed for suspected pathology of the digestive system. Using a flexible probe, an illuminated sensor is inserted into the body through the esophagus, and through a special device with an eyepiece - an endoscope - the doctor examines the digestive tract, stomach and duodenum. The method is unpleasant, but not painful.
The patient only needs to relax and breathe properly, holding the mouthpiece between his teeth. The doctor inserts the probe himself during FGDS. It's a lotmore convenient than the earlier examination procedure, in which the patient had to swallow the probe himself. FGS is faster than x-rays. There is no need to specially prepare, drink a contrast agent, from which an allergic reaction sometimes develops.
The procedure is done on an empty stomach. If you have dinner around 20.00, then at 8.00 you can go to the reception.
In the office, the doctor, if necessary, will drop Lidocaine on the root of the tongue in order to remove the discomfort from inserting the hose as much as possible. Then the patient is laid on his left side, asked to firmly clamp the mouthpiece with his teeth and the sensor is inserted.
Usually 4-5 minutes are enough for the procedure, and in cases where it is required to take a piece of tissue for a biopsy - 10-15.
Answers to frequently asked questions about FGS
When scheduling a procedure, patients ask the following questions regarding the procedure:
- I was prescribed an EGD of the stomach. What is it?
- How is gastric EGD different from duodenal testing, and why should I do it if my stomach hurts?
- If they take a biopsy, does it hurt?
- Can gastric acidity be measured by EGD?
- FGDS - is it a medical procedure or a diagnostic one?
- Can I do an ultrasound instead of EGD?
FGDS of the stomach and duodenum - similar procedures. They are performed together, and often the pain, which the patient calls pain in the stomach, provokes the pathology of the duodenum.
When pinching tissue for a biopsythere will be no pain.
The doctor can make an assumption about the presence of increased or decreased acidity based on the picture that opens. Another study is required to determine the level of acidity.
FGDS is a diagnostic procedure, but if it is prescribed in emergency cases, and there is the necessary equipment, during it it is possible to remove foreign bodies from the stomach and remove polyps.
Ultrasound shows the pathology, which is expressed in the change of the organ in size. Ultrasound cannot characterize the condition of the tissues of the organs.
What can you learn about the state of the digestive system after FGS?
The doctor makes a diagnosis after the EGD procedure ends. The conclusion contains a description of the type of mucous membrane of the esophagus, stomach and duodenum, contains information about the presence or absence of an ulcerative or erosive process, an assessment of the contents of the stomach, movement disorders, and the state of peristalsis.
