What Is an Endoscopy?
An endoscopy is a process that uses an endoscope, which is a flexible tube with a camera and a light that sends live pictures to a computer. Endoscopy is mostly used for screening and to find and treat illnesses. Along with an endoscopy, other operations can be done to finish treating or diagnosing a patient.
A Brief History
Researchers in the field of history think that tools like the endoscope were around in the time of the Romans and Greeks. But it wasn’t until 1805 that a device was made that could be used to look at the digestive system. Phillip Bozzini made the Lichtleiter, which means “light guiding device,” so that he could look at the pharynx, rectum, and urinary system.
The inventor Antoine Jean Desormeaux came up with a similar tool in 1853 that was used to look inside the bladder and urinary stream. This is where the word “endoscope” came from.
Since then, different versions of the same gadget have been made. The first time anyone tried to see inside a person’s stomach was in 1868, when Dr. Adolph Kussmaul used the device to do just that.
Johann von Mikulicz and his friends made an endoscope in 1881 that was a lot like the ones we use today. But the flexible version of this tool didn’t come out until 1932. It used a lens and a light to show the inside of a person’s stomach, letting doctors look inside their stomach.
In the late 1900s, more modern improvements were made to endoscopy. For example, Japanese doctors came up with the photographic culinary camera.
American inventors were able to look inside the stomach using new materials like glass fiber. However, the new materials weren’t useful because photographs had limits that made them useless.
Finally, in 1964, a “gastronomic camera” was made that let surgeons and doctors take pictures of what was in a person’s stomach. Fiberscopes eventually took the place of food cameras, which led to the creation of videoscopes.
Since video cameras and TV screens came along, doctors were able to improve endoscopy by showing a live feed of the procedure on HD screens. Endoscopy today has high-resolution technology that lets nurses, doctors, and other medical workers look inside the stomach in real time and make more accurate diagnoses.
Purpose and Applications
1. Diagnosis
An endoscopy helps doctors figure out what a sickness is all about. Extra tests, like a biopsy, may be done to rule out diseases. A biopsy is the process of removing cells for further study, usually by a pathologist.
2. Screening and Investigation
Pain, bleeding, heat, heartburn, feeling sick, and throwing up can all be signs that something is wrong. Doctors say that an endoscopy is the best way to find out what is causing these symptoms.
3.Treatment
An endoscope can also be used to treat something. The camera lets doctors look at changes in the body, especially those caused by structural diseases. For example, doctors can use the camera to look at a site and decide if the present treatment plan is working or not.
To treat some illnesses, an endoscope may also be done. One use of an upper GI endoscopy is to treat gut ulcers that are bleeding.
Endoscopy VS Upper Endoscopy
There are many medical treatments that use an endoscope, and upper endoscopy is one of them. Upper endoscopy, also known as esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), is an endoscopic procedure used to look at the upper GI system.
The doctor puts the tube down through the mouth and into the small intestine to check for ulcers, growths, and other problems with the upper part of the GI tract.
Endoscopy, on the other hand, is any scan that uses a thin, bendable tube with a camera and light attached to it. Different kinds of endoscopy treatments can be done on different parts of the body.
Types of Endoscopy
Depending on the area being looked at, treated, or diagnosed, the following endoscopy techniques are used:
1. Arthroscopy
A small cut is made near a joint to do this. To look for joint problems like gout, an endoscope is put through the joint. Arthroscopy can also fix small tears and other damage to joints.
2. Bronchoscopy
Bronchoscopy is used to look at the bronchial tubes, which are the big tubes in the lungs that split into bronchus and bronchioles. On this test, lumps and growths in the lungs are looked for. Along with a bronchoscopy, other medical treatments like a biopsy or dilation can be done.
3. Colonoscopy
One very popular endoscopy procedure is the colonoscopy, which is usually done on people over 50 because they have a higher chance of getting colon cancer. People who are getting a colonoscopy have to drink a colon prep drink to make sure the results are true. A colonoscopy is a test for colon cancer that involves putting a camera through the rectum to look for polyps in the colon.
4. Colposcopy
A pap test is often used to find cervical cancer. When doctors think there are more problems to look into after a pap smear, they suggest a colposcopy. There is a camera put into the cervix through the vagina during a colposcopy to look for signs of cervical cancer.
5. Cystoscopy
A technique called cystoscopy can be used to find problems with the bladder. During the test, a thin tube is put through the urethra (the long tube that carries urine from the bladder) to look for early signs of bladder cancer, for example.
6. Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography
This kind of endoscopy, which is also called ERCP, is put in through the mouth and moves down to the pancreatic tubes. An ERCP test, on the other hand, looks at the pancreatic ducts in the liver and pancreas. The ERCP can be used to remove gallstones without surgery or major damage to the body.
7. Laparoscopy
As a treatment for appendicitis, a laparoscopy is a known way to take out the appendix. This treatment can also help find a number of problems with organs in the abdomen, such as problems with infertility and the liver. Laparoscopic surgery is a type of minimally invasive surgery that involves making a small cut (about half an inch long) and inserting a camera called a laparoscope to do the operation.
8. Laryngoscopy
Coughing that won’t go away, sore throats, and bad breath are usually nothing to worry about, but they can be signs of bigger problems with the larynx. Laryngoscopy is used to look into these symptoms and see what’s going on inside the larynx. During this procedure, growths in the throat or vocal cords are often seen to help doctors figure out what’s wrong.
9. Mediastinoscopy
A small cut is made above the breast bone for mediastinoscopy, which is similar to how an arthroscopy is done. This method is used to check the middle of the chest and to remove lymph nodes in people with lung cancer.
10. Proctoscopy
During a proctoscopy, the tool used is a rectoscope, which is not the same as an endoscopy. The rectoscope is not a long, flexible tube. Instead, it is a straight, thin tube with a small light bulb on the end that is used to look at both minor and major problems in the rectal area, like hemorrhoids and rectal polyps.
11. Upper GI Endoscopy
A thin tube is put into the mouth to look at the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum during this process, which is also known as esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). As a way to treat an esophageal narrowing, doctors may choose to do other procedures during an upper endoscopy, such as esophageal dilation.