About gastroscopy

A gastroscopy is a test to check inside your throat, food pipe (oesophagus) and stomach, known as the upper part of your digestive system. This is also called an upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy.

An upper GI endoscopy is a long, thin, flexible tube with a small camera inside (an endoscope or gastroscope) which is passed into your mouth then down your throat and into your stomach. It relays high-quality images.

Why do I need a gastroscopy?

Your doctor may suggest a gastroscopy to investigate certain symptoms relating to your digestive system. These may include:

• Persistent indigestion or heartburn
• Difficulty swallowing or painful swallowing
• Abnormal bleeding – such as blood in your poo or vomiting blood
• Continually being, or feeling sick
• Pain in your upper abdomen
• Iron-deficiency anaemia
• Losing weight without trying to

A gastroscopy can help to diagnose or monitor many different health conditions affecting your gastrointestinal tract. These may include Crohn’s disease, stomach ulcers, pancreatitis, gallstones, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) and cancers affecting the digestive system.

If you have a condition called Barrett’s oesophagus, you will be offered regular gastroscopies. This is to check for changes in the cells in the lining of your oesophagus.

You can also have a gastroscopy as part of treatment for a health condition. This might include to repair a stomach ulcer or remove a polyp (growth).

Preparing for a gastroscopy

Preparing for your procedure is crucial, so you must follow your consultant’s instructions. If you’re unsure about any part of your preparation, always ask your consultant, as failing to prepare properly could result in the gastroscopy not going ahead.

During a consultation, tell your consultant of any medical conditions, allergies or medications you currently take, especially ones that affect blood clotting like warfarin or heparin. You might need to stop taking certain medicines before a gastroscopy.

Organising transport home is an essential part of your preparation because you’ll be sedated and will not be able to drive safely for around 24 hours after the procedure. You’ll also want to plan any time off work to ensure a complete recovery.

You should plan what you’re going to wear to the appointment. Comfortable clothing is best, and you should avoid wearing jewellery. You’ll also be asked to remove glasses or dentures beforehand, as they can get in the way.

You must stop eating and drinking before your appointment. Specific details will be provided, but your fasting may include stopping eating and drinking after midnight on the day of your procedure.

Your healthcare provider may recommend that you take laxatives to make you poo, but you should only do so if they advise you too.

You’ll be given fasting instructions to confirm exactly when to stop eating or drinking on the day of the gastroscopy. It is likely that you’ll need to stop eating at least six hours before the test.

You might be able to continue having sips of water up to 2 hours before the procedure. Your letter will give you more details about eating and drinking on the day.

What happens in a gastroscopy?

You’ll usually have a gastroscopy as an outpatient in an endoscopy unit. This means you won’t need to stay overnight – you should be able to go home after the procedure.

You’ll attend your appointment on the day of your upper GI endoscopy, following your preparation instructions. To begin with, you may be given an intravenous (IV) drip containing a mild sedative.This will make you feel relaxed and drowsy and might mean you won’t even remember it. If you don’t have sedation, you can have a local anaesthetic spray on the back of your throat. This will numb your throat before the gastroscope is inserted. Speak with your consultant about sedatives beforehand if you’re nervous about being awake during the procedure.

You’ll be asked to lie on your left side. Your doctor will pass the gastroscope into your mouth and down your oesophagus. You may be asked to swallow as the tube is inserted. Your doctor may pump a small amount of air into your stomach to inflate it and provide a clearer view of your digestive tract. This air can cause bloating afterwards but will naturally release from your body following the procedure, normally over the rest of the day. 

The gastroscope can take images from inside your gastrointestinal tract, which your doctor will be able to see on a screen. Your doctor may take a biopsy (tissue sample) or perform any treatment you need during the gastroscopy.

Depending on the reason for your gastroscopy, your doctor might also decide to take a biopsy (tissue sample).

At the end of the procedure, your doctor will gently remove the gastroscope and you’ll begin your recovery.

Recovery and what to expect after a gastroscopy

As well as preparing for your appointment, you’ll want to know what to expect after your upper GI gastroscopy to support your recovery. Typically, you can go home within an hour of the procedure, so make sure your transport is arranged beforehand.

If you’ve had sedation, you’ll be asked to wait in the endoscopy unit for up to two hours to recover. You’ll need to have a friend or relative who can drive you home and stay with you overnight. Keep the rest of the day free at home so you can rest and recover.

If you’ve had a local anaesthetic throat spray, you shouldn’t eat or drink until it’s worn off. This may take around an hour. Make sure you can swallow comfortably before you do eat or drink anything.

You’ll most likely feel hungry after fasting for your gastroscopy, so have easy-to-cook food at home to satisfy your hunger. Some hospitals may even provide you with a light meal.

It’s common to have some bloating and discomfort after a gastroscopy. You can expect this to wear off after a few hours. You may also have a sore throat from where the gastroscope was passed down your throat. This should wear off within a few days. You can take painkillers if you need to. But contact the hospital if your pain is severe.

Your doctor may be able to discuss some of the findings from the gastroscopy with you immediately. Or they may follow up with you at a later date. They should let you know what to expect before you leave the hospital.

Potential complications of gastroscopy

Gastroscopy is generally considered a relatively safe procedure. But you should be aware that it does come with some risks. These may include the following. 

• Bleeding following a biopsy
• Perforation (tearing) of your bowel, oesophagus or stomach
• Reaction to sedative medicines, such as breathing problems however serious problems are rare as you are monitored during the OGD.

Serious complications are rare with gastroscopy. If you have any problems, such as fever or severe pain after your procedure, contact the hospital straight away.

Private care for gastroscopy

Gastroscopy is available both on the NHS and privately. Either way, you will need to be referred by a consultant or GP. Depending on why you need a gastroscopy, you’re likely to be able to access the procedure faster through private care. If you have health insurance, check whether it covers gastroscopy.

A gastroscopy procedure is similar, whether you have it on the NHS or privately. But there will usually be differences in how you receive your care. You’ll probably have a greater choice of when and where you can have the procedure too.

Gastroscopy costs and fees

If you have private medical insurance, check with your insurer whether they will cover the cost of gastroscopy. This may depend on why you are having it.

You can also pay for gastroscopy yourself (known as self-funding). Typically, an initial consultation for a diagnostic gastroscopy will cost between £180 and £250. The procedure itself costs between £150 and £450. Gastroscopy costs in the UK vary depending on where you live. If you go ahead with the procedure, you’ll be offered one of the following.

• An all-inclusive ‘package price’, where you know the full costs before having the procedure. Not all consultants and hospitals offer this.
• A ‘fee-per-service’ deal, where you receive different invoices from the consultant, the anaesthetist and the hospital. You often won’t know the full costs until you receive the invoices.

For more information, you can read our guide on self-pay.

Find your private endoscopy consultant with the help of PHIN

An endoscopy can investigate your troublesome symptoms, but finding the right private consultant can be challenging.

Fortunately, you can browse local and private consultants easily using the PHIN website. You can also explore consultant and hospital profiles, review patient feedback and view consultants’ potential endoscopy fees to make more informed decisions over your health.

Use the PHIN website today to find a private endoscopy consultant with ease.

References

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4. Gastroscopy. Cancer Research UK. https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/tests-and-scans/gastroscopy, last reviewed 9 September 2022.
5. EGD Test (Esophagogastroduodenoscopy). Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/egd-esophagogastroduodenoscopy, updated 15 December 2021.
6. Endoscopy: What to know. MedicalNewsToday. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153737, updated 6 January 2023.
7. Caring for someone recovering from a general anaesthetic or sedation. Royal College of Anaesthetists, November 2021. https://www.rcoa.ac.uk/sites/default/files/documents/2021-11/12-SedationCarer2021web.pdf.