Health Details

A gastroscopy is a medical procedure during which a thin, flexible tube called an endoscope is used to look inside the stomach. It is also known as an endoscopy.

The endoscope has a light and a camera on one end. The camera is used to relay images of the inside of your body to a television monitor.

A gastroscopy is a very common procedure. More than half a million gastroscopies are performed by the NHS each year in England.

These pages focus on a gastroscopy, specifically. Read more about other types of endoscopy.

Why you might need a gastroscopy

A gastroscopy may be recommended if you have symptoms that suggest a problem with the stomach. This could be difficulty swallowing (dysphagia) or persistent abdominal pain. The procedure can help to diagnose the underlying cause of these symptoms.

A gastroscopy can also be used to treat various problems of the gut. Doctors can pass tiny tools down the endoscope to:

• repair bleeding ulcers and veins
• widen the oesophagus if there are blockages
• provide nutrition if you are unable to eat food in the normal way
• remove non-cancerous growths (polyps) or early-stage cancerous tumours

Read more about why a gastroscopy may be necessary.

What happens during a gastroscopy?

A gastroscopy is usually performed as an outpatient procedure so you will not have to spend the night in hospital.

It is often carried out under sedation, which means you will not be asleep during the procedure but you will be very drowsy and have little awareness of what is going on. Alternatively, your throat can be numbed with a local anaesthetic spray.

The doctor carrying out the procedure will place the endoscope in the back of your mouth and you will be asked to swallow the first part of the tube. The endoscope is then guided down your oesophagus and into your stomach.

A gastroscopy can take around 20-40 minutes to perform.

Read more about how a gastroscopy is performed.

Risks

A gastroscopy is a very safe procedure and serious complications such as infection or internal bleeding are rare, occurring in only around 1 in 1,000 cases.

Read more about the possible risks associated with a gastroscopy.