HealthInfo Canterbury
Gastroscopy
Gastroscopy is a procedure that lets doctors see inside your stomach and small bowel.
In a gastroscopy, a small, flexible tube is passed into your mouth, down your throat and oesophagus (food pipe) and into your stomach and small bowel.
The tube (called an endoscope) is about the width of a little finger. It has a tiny video camera at the end, which allows doctors to see inside your oesophagus, stomach and the first part of your small bowel. The doctor can also take small samples of tissue if necessary.
A gastroscopy is done in hospital, but you can usually go home the same day. You don't need to have a general anaesthetic, but you can have a sedative to help you relax and reduce discomfort.
HealthInfo recommends the following videos
- Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust – Gastroscopy video
This video provides detailed information on what gastroscopy involves. It also shows what the endoscope looks like. The video is around two minutes.
HealthInfo recommends the following pages
- Canterbury DHB
- Understanding gastroscopy
Information about gastroscopy at Christchurch Hospital and how to prepare for one.
- Capsule endoscopy
Information about capsule endoscopy, where you swallow a small capsule containing a video camera (also known as a pill cam) so doctors can examine the inside of your small bowel.
- Understanding gastroscopy
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed August 2020.
Review key: HIGAS-20306
