Esophagoscopy

What is an esophagoscopy?

An esophagoscopy is a procedure that healthcare providers use to check the inside of your esophagus — the tube that carries food and liquid from your throat to your stomach. Your provider may do an esophagoscopy to look for signs of disease or to take tissue samples.

The procedure is a type of endoscopy. Healthcare providers use an endoscope to examine structures inside your body. An endoscope is a long, flexible tube with a camera and a light on the end. A provider inserts an esophagoscope into your mouth or nose. They move the scope down your throat to your esophagus.

You may feel anxious about a tube going down your throat or nose. That’s completely normal. But the test is one way to find out what’s going on in the tube you rely on to keep food and liquid moving. And that’s the first step toward feeling better.

Why would I need an esophagoscopy?

Your healthcare provider may do this test if you have symptoms like:

• Chronic cough
• Difficulty swallowing
• Nausea and vomiting
• Persistent heartburn

You may need an esophagoscopy if there’s food caught in your esophagus, or you swallow something by accident.

Healthcare providers also do this procedure to diagnose esophageal disorders, including:

• Barrett’s esophagus
• Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing)
• Esophageal cancer
• GERD
• Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR)

Types of esophagoscopy

• Transoral esophagoscopy. Your provider inserts an esophagoscope through your mouth into your esophagus.
• Transnasal esophagoscopy. Your provider threads an esophagoscope into your nose. The scope moves down past your mouth to your esophagus.

The tests work the same way. Lighted video cameras in the esophagoscopes send images to a computer screen. Esophagoscopes may be flexible tubes that bend. They could be narrow, metal tubes that don’t bend (rigid esophagoscopy).

How do I prepare for an esophagoscopy?

Some esophagoscopies involve anesthesia so you don’t feel pain during the procedure. Your healthcare provider will explain what you need to do to get ready. In general, however, you should:

• Plan transportation. Typically, you’ll be able to go home the same day of your procedure. You can’t drive because you’ll get anesthesia before the procedure, so you should plan for someone to take you home.
• Plan to have anesthesia. You may need to fast for eight hours before surgery. Your provider may tell you to stop taking certain herbal supplements.

What happens during an esophagoscopy?

Your anesthesiologist gives you medication to put you to sleep or sedation to help you relax. Your healthcare provider will:

1. Numb your throat if they’re putting the esophagoscope into your mouth or numb the inside of your nose if they place the scope in your nose
2. Gently insert the esophagoscope into your mouth or nose
3. Slowly move the scope into your esophagus
4. Project video from the esophagoscope onto a screen
5. Record images to review later as needed
6. Take samples of tissue (biopsy) if needed (a medical pathologist will example the sample under a microscope)

How long does it take to do an esophagoscopy?

That depends on the type of test you have. A transnasal esophagoscopy may take 15 minutes to complete. A transoral esophagoscopy may take up to 60 minutes. Your healthcare provider will explain what you can expect.

Are esophagoscopies painful?

No, they aren’t painful. You may feel uncomfortable as your provider inserts the esophagoscope but the procedure isn’t painful.

What should I expect after an esophagoscopy?

Esophagoscopies are outpatient procedures (you can go home the same day). But you’ll need to stay at your provider’s office or at the hospital until you recover from anesthesia. For example, it may take an hour for the medication that numbed your throat or nose to wear off.

What are the benefits of an esophagoscopy?

Benefits include:

• Diagnosing medical conditions like Barrett’s esophagus
• Detecting cancer cells in your esophagus (early detection leads to early treatment for esophageal cancer)
• Removing objects stuck in your esophagus

What are the risks of an esophagoscopy?

Esophagoscopies are safe procedures with very few complications. When there are complications, they may include:

• Bleeding
• Irritated or sore throat
• Reaction to anesthesia
• Perforation (tear) in your esophagus