Our procedures
An endoscopic procedure allows the doctor or nurse to visually inspect your gastrointestinal tract using a video camera attached to the end of a long thin flexible tube or endoscope.
Upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy which includes an OGD (or gastroscopy) is examination of the oesophagus (food pipe or gullet), stomach and duodenum (first part of the small bowel). In the case of EUS/ERCP as an hepato-biliary specialism this includes the gall bladder and pancreas.
Lower gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy such as a colonoscopy (or flexible sigmoidoscopy) is an examination of the colon (large bowel).
You can also read what an endoscopy is, when it is used, and what happens during an endoscopy on the NHS website.
Range of endoscopy services offered
We offer a wide variety of specialist and general diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic procedures supporting a wide MDT of referring and operating clinicians, surgeons, and nurse endoscopists to ensure we can offer the best and most complete in house offering possible for our patients and teams.
These include but are not limited to:
Gastroscopy (or OGD)
This may be diagnostic or therapeutic, covering a wide variety of specialist and general procedures.
Colonoscopy
This may be diagnostic or therapeutic, covering a wide variety of specialist and general procedures.
ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography)
A procedure which involves a dye being injected into the bile and pancreatic ducts using a flexible, video endoscope. X-rays are taken to outline the bile ducts and pancreas.
EUS (endoscopic ultrasound)
This procedure involves the use of both flexible scope and in build ultrasound imaging to allow the endoscopist to view surrounding organs, vessels and tissues and where required use a fine needle to gain samples or drain fluid.
Capsule endoscopy
This procedure uses a tiny wireless camera that the patient swallows to allow for imaging of the digestive tract to be taken and transmitted to a recorder that is worn on the waist during the procedure.
Bronchoscopy and EBUS (endobronchial ultrasound)
These procedures are performed through the nose into the lungs, by specialist trained chest physicians.
EBUS utilises the flexible scope and ultrasound technology used in EUS but in a much finer scope.
They allow for the detailed view of these and, in the case of EBUS, surrounding tissues and biopsies to be taken as needed.
Enteroscopy
This is a detailed examination of part of the small bowel, with the oesophagus (gullet) and stomach being examined during the process.
Combined procedures
Many of the procedures above can be completed on the same visit, such as a gastroscopy and colonoscopy or an EUS and ERCP. The clinical referring you might request this to speed up your pathway, and to avoid needing multiple procedures and visits.
Bowel cancer screening programme (BCSP)
The department participates in the national bowel cancer screening programme and provides on-site screening tests.
Endoscopy research
We are a research active department, and you may be asked if you are happy to participate in on-going studies during your visit. Please be assured this is entirely voluntary. If you are asked to take part, you will have a full and separate discussion with the research team for the study on exactly what this would involve and mean for you on this visit, as well as moving forward.
We've received prizes for our research contribution at national meetings, and our endoscopists have presented all around the world including at significant international events.