Gastroscopy facts & figures
- A gastroscopy is a diagnostic procedure that allows doctors to examine the your digestive system for stomach problems, such as severe heartburn or indigestion
- A gastroscopy also allows your doctor to perform biopsies - small tissue samples are removed by a special tool on the endoscope for analysis by a hospital laboratory
- You will be asked to refrain from eating anything for at least six hours before the gastroscopy, as your stomach must be empty during the examination
- A gastroscopy usually takes between five and 20 minutes to perform and is usually performed as an outpatient procedure (1)
- The risk of any serious complication occurring in a diagnostic gastroscopy is less than one in every 10,000 (2)
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