A procedure that allows surgeons to see the problems within your body without the risk of making large incisions, endoscopy is used for a number of purposes.
This procedure is used in a variety of ways through a number of specialized instruments to view and operate on internal organs.
Doctors, at times, need to view the organ that needs to be treated, or to detect the cause for a particular ailment. On other occasions these organs may need to be treated with minimal invasiveness.
At such times endoscopy comes to the rescue of the patient. This form of treatment is essentially used to:
1) Help your doctor determine any abnormal symptoms
2) Remove sample tissue for testing
3) To see within the body to help prepare for, or during, surgeries
At Regency Medical Centre we provide a range of endoscopy treatments to our patients. The hospital has carried out over 30,000 endoscopic investigations and more than 10,000 endoscopic surgeries.
Having some of the best medical equipment and highly proficient staff, we take ensure that you are given the highest standards of medical care.
Endoscopic Band Ligation for Esophageal and Colorectal Varies
Endoscopic Band Ligation is the most highly preferred mode of treatment for enlarged veins which may rupture. This method is also used to treat veins that have ruptured and are causing bleeding.
This treatment is especially essential with individuals with cirrhosis, or high pressure in the veins carrying blood. Variceal bleeding is bleeding from enlarged veins and can be an incredibly dangerous complication.
If the varices are not treated it may result in death. Endoscopic Band Ligation is the most common and effective treatment for this condition. This treatment is usually performed under a local anesthetic. In some cases sedation is also given through IV to better help the patient relax.
The endoscope guides the doctors by providing visuals of the offending varices and helps them place tiny elastic bands around the enlarged veins so that they do not bleed anymore. The varices are eventually sloughed off after a few days and bleeding is far less likely after this.
Endoscopic Expandable Stent Insertion, Foreign Body Removal & Biopsies
Self-expandable metallic stents are basically metal tubes which are inserted in the gastrointestinal tract to allow for the passage of food and other bodily secretions.The process of insertion of this stent is through endoscopy itself. There is a detailed gastroscopy that is performed to identify the area of narrowing before the procedure is undertaken.
The fibre optic camera of the endoscope guides the doctor as to the placement of the stent.
In case of any foreign bodies ingested which are lodged in the esophagus, stomach or duodenum,endoscopic foreign body retrieval is required.
While this is not essentially a surgery it requires the use of a variety of techniques put in play through the gastroscope for grasping foreign bodies.
The important aspect in this treatment is protecting the esophagus and trachea. Children and patients with mental illness as well as prison inmates are at the most risk for this.
Various sized of forceps, loops or Roth baskets (mesh nets) can be used to fish out the obstructing foreign object.
In case of suspected cancer or other insidious disease a biopsy may be essential. Endoscopic biopsies are the most convenient means of obtaining a sample of the tissue or organ which is suspected of hosting the disease.
The procedure usually lasts less than an hour and is performed under local anesthesia. The camera mounted on the tube gives the doctor a complete picture of the area required to be biopsied and mounted instruments allow the doctor to conduct the biopsy with ease.
Endoscopic Procedures for Urology
There are a number of essential procedures that endoscopy supports in urological medicine.
The sheer efficacy of the procedure and the latest advances in technology have made many minimally invasive procedures available for patients. Here are some of the procedures in urological endoscopy that RMS performs:
DVU
Direct Vision Urethrotomy (DVU) or Direct Vision Internal Urethrotomy (DVIU), is a procedure used to repair a narrowed area of the urethra. This narrowing is also known as a stricture.
Urethral strictures can cause a number of problems in men like prostate problems, infections in bladders or kidneys, or inability to urinate or completely empty the bladder.
This is a short procedure which involves placing a special tube known as the cystoscope into the urethra to locate the narrowed area.
A special instrument is then inserted in the urethra to cut away the scar tissue of the stricture and make the urethra wider. The procedure takes something around 30 minutes in most cases and you can go home on the same day in most cases. A catheter may be placed once the surgery is complete.
TURBT
Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumor or TURBT, is a procedure which removes bladder tumors from the bladder walls. This procedure also allows your urologist to diagnose and treat various bladder disorders.
It is most commonly used to treat bladder cancers which only grow on the surface of bladder walls and can be easily removed.
In this process a scope is inserted through the urethra into the bladder. The entire process is performed with the help of the scope. The scope has a special cutting instrument attached to it which removes the tumor.
The area can also require to be cauterized by special instruments introduced with the scope. This procedure removes the tumor completely from the bladder.
Endoscopic Gastrointestinal Polyps Excision
Polyps are essentially non-cancerous growths that can occur on the stomach lining. Polyps can partially obstruct bowels, or even cause trace bleeding without it being visible in your stool.
These growths can also cause abdominal pain and cramps. In some cases it may even cause anemia. Most polyps are not cancerous but adenomatous polyps, also known as adenomas, present the possibility of turning cancerous.
Gastrointestinal polyps are a common occurrence among the elderly.
These can be successfully excised in some cases through endoscopic procedures. While the endoscopic excision of polyps over a certain size, if they are under the mandated size for surgery they may be able to be excised piecemeal. Surgical excision, however, may be dangerous for high risk patients.
There have been a number of technical advances in Endoscopic Gastrointestinal Polyps Excision, making the procedure even more efficient and effective.
Endoscopic Stool Transplantation
This procedure is majorly used in the treatment for Clostridium difficile Infections which can cause debilitating and even fatal diarrhea. This is a very serious infection and is on the rise around the world.
Stool transplantation has also shown great efficacy in helping the treatment of digestive and auto-immune diseases, as well as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis.
The purpose of this treatment is to introduce healthy bacteria that have been killed or suppressed in the patient’s body.
The stool is introduced endoscopically through the rectal area. A single
colonoscopic infusion of healthy stool is highly effective in most cases.
The procedure is carried out using a colonoscope that is advanced through the entire colon. When the colonoscope is withdrawn the donor stool is delivered into the colon of the patient.
TURP
Transuretheral Resection of the Prostate, or TURP, is used to relieve outflow obstruction of the bladder from the prostate. Progressive enlargement of the prostate affects a large number of men.
This results in slowing of the urinary stream, urinary frequency, hesitancy and urinary leakage.
TURP removes the tissue of the prostate that is obstructing but leaves the prostate in place. This procedure is done under anesthesia which could be either general or spinal anesthesia.
The surgery is completely internal and is carried out using an instrument called the resectoscope. It is introduced through the urethera while an electrical resecting tube removes prostate tissue in small pieces through the scope.
A urethral catheter is placed to flush blood from the bladder after the procedure.
Cystoscopy
A cystoscopy is recommended by doctors in case of blood in the urine, regular urinary tract infections, overactive bladder or pelvic pain.
The purpose of this procedure is to identify conditions leading to these symptoms, these conditions could be anything like bladder tumors, stones, cancer, blockages, enlarged prostate or even ureter issues.
This procedure is also conducted to take urine samples to check for tumors or infection, inserting a small tube to assist the flow, or to identify kidney problems by injecting a dye.
This procedure can be done under local, general or regional anesthesia. A cystoscope, which is a thin tube with a camera and light at one end, is inserted through the urethra.
The camera shows the doctors images of your bladder so that they can analyse the magnified images. The procedure is not time consuming at all.
FESS
Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery, or FESS, is a surgical treatment of sinusitis and nasal polyps. This treatment is also used for ailments like bacterial, fungal, recurrent sinus problems.
This procedure uses nasal endoscopes to restore the drainage of paranasal sinuses and restores the ventilation of the nasal cavity.
Usually used to treat infectious and/or inflammatory diseases of the
sinus, it is a minimally invasive surgery.
High definition cameras and fine endoscopes have made the procedure incredibly simple.It is usually performed under general anesthesia but can also be performed under local anesthesia and intravenous sedation.
Direct Laryngoscopy
The most common procedure to be performed on the larynx, it is used to identify and biopsy diseases in and around the larynx.This procedure is usually performed under general anesthesia.
The patient is placed in a position so as to allow extension of the head and neck. A laryngoscope is then introduced into the mouth and throat.
There are fiber optic light cables attached to the scope to illuminate the area for the doctor to view. Attached to the laryngoscope there are other
instruments that are used to suspend the laryngoscope.
The operation is conducted using lasers and operative microscopes when necessary. The procedure usually lasts for about an hour and the patients are then allowed to go home if they meet all the criterion.
Nasal Endoscopy
This is a minimally invasive procedure used for examining the nasal passages for stuffiness and obstruction, sinusitis, nasal polyps, tumors, and nose bleeds.The patient remains seated during this procedure and is checked for areas of swelling on the mucosal membranes, presence of purulent secretions draining from the sinus openings, enlarged nasal turbinates, crooked nasal septum, presence of polyps and other factors.
The endoscope with its high quality camera and fiber optic light help the doctors get a clear view of the field.
This is crucial in order for the doctor to be able to provide the best possible treatment options for the patient.
Turbinoplasty
The side walls of the nasal passageways sometimes develop swellings, or turbinates. The procedure of removing these turbinates is known as Turbinoplasty.
Normally the turbinates swell and shrink with time and the process alternates between the nasal passages every few hours. In some individuals these turbinates may swell and block the passage of air altogether.
This operation is generally performed under general anesthesia through the nasal passageways without any cuts. An endoscope along with some specialized instruments are used so as to reduce the size of the turbinates.
The procedure is simple enough for the patient to go home on the same day itself.
Some endoscopy procedures can cause you a certain amount of discomfort once the procedure is done.For example, if you have had an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy you may experience sore throat for a couple days and will need to eat soft foods.
A cystoscopy may mean that you will have some blood in your urine after a cystoscopy, but this should pass within 24 hours. Make sure that you ask your doctor of issues that you should be on the lookout for after an endoscopy.
An endoscope is something like a flexible telescope. The part of the endoscope that enters the patient’s body is flexible, much unlike a telescope. It contains two to three main optical cables.
Two of the three cables carry light into the patient’s body, while the third cable brings back reflected light to the doctor’s eyepiece, or monitor.
Depending upon the surgery there are a number of other instruments that a modern endoscope carries. Sometimes even the type of endoscopes used vary depending upon the procedure they are used for.
Yes. An endoscopy is a crucial step in figuring out whether or not the patient has throat cancer.
Modern day endoscopes can conduct the necessary biopsy on the patient’s tissue. The endoscope also may use a magnifying lens so as to give the doctor a closer look to your vocal chords to help them make a better judgment.