Gastroscopy + urease test (for Helicobacter Pylori) under local anaesthesia

What is gastroscopy?

Gastroscopy is an imaging test to evaluate the esophagus, the gullet (the junction of the esophagus and stomach), the stomach, the pylorus (the junction of the stomach and duodenum) and the duodenum. It involves the insertion of an endoscope, a flexible tube with a camera that allows images from inside the digestive tract to be presented on a monitor.

An important advantage of gastroscopy is the ability to take a small section of suspected lesion tissue for further examination. Gastroscopy can also be used to perform a therapeutic procedure, such as removing polyps or widening a narrowing of the gastrointestinal tract.

Services such as collection of material for histopathological examination and removal of polyps are at an additional cost.

The examination causes no pain, only discomfort from the movement of the endoscope in the throat.

Indications for the examination

Gastroscopy allows to diagnose diseases of the upper gastrointestinal tract. It is performed in the presence of complaints such as:

• nausea and vomiting;
• heartburn and other symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux;
• problems with swallowing;
• feeling of fullness after meals and persistent belching;
• upper gastrointestinal bleeding (bloody vomit, tarry stools, and positive fecal occult blood test results);
• suspected presence of a foreign body in the gastrointestinal tract;
• weight loss unrelated to changes in lifestyle and diet;
• lack of appetite;
• epigastric pain.

Other indications for the test are:

• suspicion of celiac disease;
• family history of upper gastrointestinal cancer;
• certain surgeries (including gallbladder removal).

Preparation for the test

You should report for gastroscopy 6-8 hours after your last meal. 4 hours before the test, you should refrain from taking liquids. One hour before the examination, do not smoke.

When proceeding to gastroscopy, you should bring with you previous results of gastrointestinal tests, if any. A referral from your doctor is required.

After the test, wait 40 minutes before eating or drinking. 

Gastroscopy and medications taken on a regular basis

All changes in medication intake before the test should be discussed with the referring physician.

On the day of the examination, cardiovascular medications (including those for hypertension) should be taken early in the morning as prescribed, with a small amount of water. Medications that reduce blood clotting should be taken as directed by a cardiologist and their discontinuation should be consulted with him before the examination. Patients taking diabetes medications should not take a pill or insulin before the test - medications can be taken with you, and will be administered on site if necessary. Glucose (free of charge) may be administered at the facility on the doctor's recommendation.

In the case of procedures such as removal of polyps (an extra charge service), anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs should be discontinued in consultation with the attending physician 4-5 days before the examination and, if necessary, switched to treatment with low molecular weight heparin preparations. It is mandatory in these cases to determine the coagulation parameters 1-2 days before the date of the test, as well as to determine the blood group.

7 days before the test, iron preparations should be discontinued.

• The examination is performed under local anesthesia. If you wish to perform the examination with general anesthesia, please contact our hotline at 22 566 22 22 - it may then be necessary to consult an anesthesiologist and perform the tests ordered by the doctor.
• The price of the service includes a gastroscopy examination and a urease test. If there is a need for additional services, such as histopathological examination of the tissue section taken or removal of gastrointestinal polyps, they are charged extra, according to the current price list of the Damian Medical Center.
• The examination is performed in adults.
• A referral from a physician for the examination is required. According to current legislation, in the case of endoscopic examinations, the referral should list the medications with which the patient is being treated. If the doctor did not enter the medications, the patient should bring all the medications used with him.
• The result of the examination (description + pictures) is available immediately. We do not perform video recording of the examination.
• Doctors performing the examination do not issue sick leaves for patients.