Endoscopy is a minimally invasive way to evaluate the inside of organs such as the esophagus, stomach, intestines, urinary system, trachea, lungs, and nasal cavity. Additionally, endoscopy can be performed to evaluate the inside of body cavities including the abdomen (laparoscopy) or chest (thoracoscopy). During endoscopy, an endoscope is inserted directly into an organ through a natural opening in the body or into a body cavity through one or more small incisions.
An endoscope is a medical instrument that has a camera, microchip and light source at the tip, permitting transmission of a high quality image to a computer monitor for your pet’s doctor to view and interpret the condition of the area being examined. In veterinary medicine, endoscopy of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is most common. We can perform endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal tract (UGI), which includes evaluation of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. We are also able to evaluate the colon, cecum, and ileum through endoscopy of the lower gastrointestinal tract (LGI).