Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
The Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, part of the Department of Medicine, offers world-class patient care, research programs, and education and training opportunities.
Endoscopy
A minimally invasive tool for screening, diagnosing and treating disease
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Evaluating and Treating Gastrointestinal Diseases
Endoscopy is a powerful medical tool. It’s quick to do and usually painless, and it can be a very effective way to find and treat many GI conditions.In the Endoscopy Centers associated with the Division of Gastroenterology, our team can use an endoscopic approach to diagnose and treat many digestive diseases and pre-cancerous conditions.
We perform nearly 30,000 endoscopic procedures each year, and that experience translates into optimal care for you. Whether you're having a basic screening, investigating symptoms or receiving treatment for a challenging GI condition, you can rely on us for compassionate and personalized endoscopic care.
What is Endoscopy?
Endoscopy uses a long, thin tube to look directly inside your body. The tube — an endoscope — has a light and a camera on its tip. Usually, doctors insert the endoscope into a natural body opening such as your mouth or your anus. Sometimes, however, we can place the endoscope through a small incision in your skin.
Once the endoscope reaches the area doctors want to examine, it sends pictures to a computer screen. In many cases, doctors can pass tools through the endoscope to complete various procedures. It’s possible for doctors to remove tissue, provide treatment and even do surgery.
Various forms of endoscopy may be used to view these parts of your body:
- Colon
- Esophagus
- Gallbladder
- Pancreas
- Rectum
- Small intestine
- Stomach
Endoscopy isn’t used only for digestive diseases. Doctors also can use forms of endoscopy to look at your joints; urinary, respiratory and reproductive systems; and more.
Conditions We Treat
Our GI specialists can diagnose and treat a variety of conditions, including:
- Achalasia
- Barrett’s esophagus
- Colon cancer
- Colon polyps
- Esophageal and Gastric cancer
- Gallstones
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- Gastrointestinal bleeding
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Motility disorders
- Pancreatic cancer and bile duct tumors
- Pancreatitis
Types of Endoscopic Procedures
Endoscopic Imaging, Screening & Diagnostic Procedures
- Colonoscopy — An exam of the colon and rectum used to screen for colorectal cancer and diagnose conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease.
- Confocal microscopy — An enhanced imaging technique that allows us to look at tissue at the cellular level.
- Endoscopic secretin pancreatic function test — A highly sensitive test that can diagnose pancreatitis years before it shows up on imaging.
- Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) — A minimally invasive procedure that combines endoscopy and ultrasound (the use of sound waves to create images of the inside of the body). It allows us to get images and information about your digestive tract and its surrounding tissues and organs, such as your liver. We also use EUS to do fine-needle biopsies (removing cells for evaluation under a microscope).
- Evaluation of ongoing GI bleeding using:
- Advanced hemostasis — A procedure that uses medical devices to stop bleeding.
- Capsule endoscopy — A camera-containing pill that provides pictures as it moves through your digestive tract after you swallow it.
- Single-balloon enteroscopy — A procedure that uses an endoscope with a balloon near the tip. Doctors inflate and deflate the balloon in your small intestine to make it easier to get to areas that are otherwise difficult to reach.
- Intraductal cholangioscopy — Uses an endoscope to visualize key areas during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).
- Optical coherence tomography — A tool for diagnosing Barrett’s esophagus.
- Sigmoidoscopy — A test that examines the lower part of the colon.
- SpyGlass cholangioscopy and pancreatoscopy — Procedures that use a special scope to directly view bile and pancreatic ducts. We use these procedures to evaluate suspected cancerous and noncancerous conditions. If you have stones that are difficult to reach or narrowed areas (strictures), they also may be helpful.
Endoscopic Treatments
- Endomucosal resection — Removal of large colon polyps.
- Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) — Uses X-rays and an endoscope to treat problems of your bile and pancreatic ducts. We’re also able to do complex ERCP procedures. This can be helpful if you’ve had gastric bypass surgery, a Whipple procedure or other surgery that’s altered the anatomy of your GI tract.
- Endoscopic treatments for Barrett’s esophagus:
- Cryotherapy.
- Endoscopic mucosal resection.
- Radiofrequency ablation.
- Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) — Combined use of endoscopy and ultrasound to:
- Drain pancreatic pseudocysts, the buildup of leaked fluids near your pancreas.
- Remove areas of infection and tissue death in your pancreas.
- Palliative enteral stenting — Placement of a tube in the esophagus, colon or other parts of the GI tract to widen areas narrowed by tumors.
Your Endoscopy Appointment
Before your endoscopy, we provide complete instructions on how to get ready. Depending on your specific procedure, you may have to make short-term dietary changes, fast completely or take steps to clean out your bowels. You may also need to hold off on taking some of your medications such as GLP-1s and blood thinners for up to one week ahead of your procedure. This should be discussed with your physician at the time of scheduling.
We do most endoscopic procedures on an outpatient basis. You have your procedure, then recover for a short time. But you return home the same day. Since you will be receiving sedation, you will need an escort to drive you home on the day of your procedure. Learn more about having an outpatient GI procedure at BIDMC.
Upper Endoscopy
Upper endoscopy is a procedure that allows doctors to view and treat your esophagus, stomach and part of your small intestine. Below are instructions that explain how to prepare for your appointment.
