Endoscopy is a procedure that lets your doctor look inside your body. It uses an instrument called an endoscope, or scope for short. Scopes have a tiny camera attached to a long, thin tube. The doctor moves it through a body passageway or opening to see inside an organ. Sometimes scopes are used for surgery, such as for removing polyps from the colon.
There are many different kinds of endoscopy. Here are the names of some of them and where they look.
- Arthroscopy: joints
- Bronchoscopy: lungs
- Colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy: large intestine
- Cystoscopy and ureteroscopy: urinary system
- Laparoscopy: abdomen or pelvis
- Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy: esophagus and stomach
- Endoscopy(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_2_3X_Endoscopy.asp?sitearea=PED
- Pill Camera Works Well in Elderly(10/24/2008, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_70821.html
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Large, Multi-Center Trial Demonstrates Comparable Accuracy for Virtual Colonoscopy and Standard Colonoscopy
(09/17/2008, National Cancer Institute) - http://www.nih.gov/news/health/sep2008/nci-17.htm
- Anoscopy(Harvard Medical School) - http://www.health.harvard.edu/diagnostic-tests/anoscopy.htm
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Colonoscopy(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/colonoscopy/
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Cystoscopy and Ureteroscopy(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/cystoscopy/
- Endoscopic Plastic Surgery(American Society of Plastic Surgeons) - http://www.plasticsurgery.org/public_education/procedures/Endoscopy.cfm
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ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography)(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/ercp/
- Fiberoptic Bronchoscopy(American Thoracic Society) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.thoracic.org/sections/education/patient-education/patient-education-materials/patient-information-series/fiberoptic-bronchoscopy.html
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Flexible Sigmoidoscopy(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/sigmoidoscopy/
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Hysteroscopy(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp084.cfm
Also available in Spanish http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/sp084.cfm
- Introduction to Nasal Endoscopy(American Rhinologic Society) - http://american-rhinologic.org/patientinfo.introendoscopy.phtml
- Laparoscopic Surgery(Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons) - http://www.sls.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3294
- Mediastinoscopy(Harvard Medical School) - http://www.health.harvard.edu/diagnostic-tests/mediastinoscopy.htm
- Understanding Capsule Endoscopy(American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy) - http://www.asge.org/PatientInfoIndex.aspx?id=390
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Understanding EUS (Endoscopic Ultrasonography)(American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy) - http://www.asge.org/PatientInfoIndex.aspx?id=380
Also available in Spanish http://www.asge.org/WorkArea/showcontent.aspx?id=3036
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Upper Endoscopy(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/upperendoscopy/
- Wrist Arthroscopy(American Society for Surgery of the Hand, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00001
- Ensuring the Safety of Your Endoscopic Procedure(American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy) - http://www.asge.org/PatientInfoIndex.aspx?id=404
- Make the Best Choice for Your Endoscopic Procedure(American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy) - http://www.asge.org/PatientInfoIndex.aspx?id=376
- Sedation for Your Endoscopy(American College of Gastroenterology) - http://www.acg.gi.org/patients/gihealth/sedation.asp
- About Joint Arthroscopy(Arthritis Foundation) - Requires media player - http://ww2.arthritis.org/conditions/surgerycenter/surgerycenterflash/arthroscopy.html
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Colonoscopy(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/colonoscopy/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/colonoscopyspanish/htm/index.htm
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Colposcopy(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/colposcopy/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/colposcopyspanish/htm/index.htm
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Cystoscopy - Men(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/cystoscopymale/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/cystoscopymalespanish/htm/index.htm
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Cystoscopy - Women(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/cystoscopyfemale/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/cystoscopyfemalespanish/htm/index.htm
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Knee Arthroscopy(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/kneearthroscopy/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/kneearthroscopyspanish/htm/index.htm
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Shoulder Arthroscopy(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/shoulderarthroscopy/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/shoulderarthroscopyspanish/htm/index.htm
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Sigmoidoscopy(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/sigmoidoscopy/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/sigmoidoscopyspanish/htm/index.htm
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Upper GI Endoscopy(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/uppergiendoscopy/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/uppergiendoscopyspanish/htm/index.htm
- Medicare Coverage for Colonoscopy(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_3x_Medicare_Coverage_for_Colonoscopy.asp
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Endoscopy(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/intervention=endoscopy
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Colonoscopy(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/intervention=colonoscopy
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: The outcome and structural integrity of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18829940&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Long-term independent evaluation after arthroscopic extra-articular Bankart repair with absorbable... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18829939&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Surgical treatment of main thoracic scoliosis with thoracoscopic anterior instrumentation.... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18829904&tool=MedlinePlus
- Endoscopy -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=endoscopy[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(jsubsetk[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text])+NOT+(case+reports[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+letter[pt])&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy: Find a Doctor(American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy) - http://www.asge.org/Apps/FindADoctor/search.aspx
- Colonoscopy for Kids(North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition) - Links to PDF - http://www.naspghan.org/user-assets/Documents/pdf/diseaseInfo/ColonForKids-E.pdf
- Upper Endoscopy for Kids(North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition) - Links to PDF - http://www.naspghan.org/user-assets/Documents/pdf/diseaseInfo/UpperEndoForKids-E.pdf
- Diagnostic Tests - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/diagnostictests.html
- Surgery and Rehabilitation - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/surgeryandrehabilitation.html
Endoscopy - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/endoscopy.html