Many people struggle with digestive system problems. In some cases, symptoms such as vomiting, abdominal pain, and difficulty swallowing are not easy to diagnose. Your Brooklyn gastroenterologist or another doctor may need to get a better look at what’s happening to make a determination of what can be done to help improve your quality of life. To do this, you may need to get an upper endoscopy. This is a rather straightforward procedure that can shed a great deal of light on the symptoms you may have.
What is an Upper Endoscopy? Explained by Dr. Alexander Shapsis

What is an Upper Endoscopy?
Upper endoscopy is a direct visualization by a small video camera that’s introduced through the mouth while the patient is comfortably sleeping. This helps to visualize the esophagus, stomach, and parts of the small intestine.
Why is upper endoscopy done?
We frequently employ this particular test to evaluate a variety of conditions such as acid reflux, Barrett’s esophagus diagnosis, and for the treatment of gastric ulcers and gastritis.
This still is the gold standard for the evaluation of Helicobacter pylori. Many of the patients know this as a bacterial infection that can cause inflammation in the stomach as well as stomach ulcers.
Benefits of upper endoscopy?
This particular bacterium, the Helicobacter pylori, is also one of the leading causes of stomach cancers as well as stomach lymphomas. So, the upper endoscopy is a necessary tool for the evaluation of upper digestive disorders.
This procedure helps to diagnose and sometimes treat various conditions in the upper digestive system. Your Brooklyn gastroenterologist may recommend this procedure if you have symptoms such as:
- Unexplained nausea or vomiting
- Abdominal pain
- Trouble swallowing
- Gastrointestinal bleeding
In addition to this, your doctor may recommend an upper endoscopy to gather tissue or fluid samples. The very small tube inserted can capture fluid or small amounts of tissue for more investigative testing. For example, they may use this type of procedure to obtain a biopsy that can then be used to determine if you have:
- Inflammation
- Bleeding
- Anemia
- Cancer
- Diarrhea
What’s more, your doctor can often use an upper endoscopy to investigate and then treat some conditions. For example, you may have a bleeding vessel. Using the tube and special tools within it, your doctor may be able to stop the bleeding. They can also use it to remove a polyp, remove a foreign object, or widen a narrowed esophagus.
Upper endoscopy can be done in your Brooklyn doctor’s office or in an outpatient center. During the procedure, you’ll lay down on a table and monitors will be placed. You’ll be given medication to help you relax during the procedure and an anesthetic will be sprayed into your mouth to numb the throat. The endoscope, a small, fine tube, is then inserted into your mouth and throat. It will move down into your digestive system.
You may be awake for this procedure, but you will not feel pain. The doctor will then use the camera on the tube to transmit images to the video monitor in the room. Surgical tools are available within the endoscope that can be used to help remove samples if necessary.
After your procedure, the tube is slowly removed. The procedure usually takes about 30 minutes. Your doctor will have information after this to share with you in many cases.