Colonoscopy (colonoscopy)
Plan your appointment
What is a gastroscopy?
During a gastroscopic examination, you get a flexible tube with a camera (gastroscope) on the end through the mouth into the oesophagus and on to the stomach and duodenum. This examination is mostly used to find out the reason for swallowing difficulty, nausea, vomiting, heartburn, indigestion, abdominal pain or chest pain.
Other instruments can be inserted through the gastroscope. Thus, tissue samples can also be taken during the examination and polyps or strictures can be removed.
Preparing for the examination
Other points of interest before the examination:
- You should not eat or drink starting six hours before the examination.
- Report if you have clotting problems and/or are taking anti-clotting medication. You may not be allowed to take these (temporarily).
- How to stop blood thinners? Contact your primary care physician and/or gastroenterologist to discuss this.
- Report if you have heart or lung disease. In this case, certain precautions may be necessary.
- Bring your medication list with you.
The examination
At the beginning of the examination, the back of your mouth and throat will be numbed locally with a spray. You must swallow this spray. It serves to suppress the vomiting reflex. The examination lasts five minutes.
Aftercare
You may leave the hospital after the examination. Because of the local numbness of the mouth and throat, you may not eat or drink until the anaesthesia wears off. This takes about 30 minutes. Because air is blown in and fluid is aspirated, you may have a slightly bloated abdomen on the day of the examination. Your throat may feel slightly irritated.
After the examination
After the examination, you will stay at the endoscopy department for some time to rest. You are not allowed to drive home by car that day. It is best to bring a driver or to be picked up when you are allowed to leave the hospital.
Complications
The examination itself is very safe. Extremely rarely does a colonoscopy cause bleeding or perforation. Bleeding can almost always be remedied with local endoscopic treatment. A perforation of the intestinal wall should be repaired surgically.
In case of blood loss or acute pain, it is best to go to the emergency department immediately, even if this is several days after the examination. In that case, you stop any food intake immediately.
Information brochure
Departments
Would you like more information or to make an appointment? Then please contact the department(s) below.