Voice: (860) 423-5000
FAX: (860) 423-4838

Hours
9 a.m. - 5 p.m
Monday - Friday
Closed on Holidays

Surgeon Dr. Herbert Ridyard doing rounds at Windham Hospital in Willimantic, Connecticut

Surgeon Dr. Herbert Ridyard doing rounds at Windham Hospital in Willimantic, Connecticut

What we do...

Endoscopy of the Stomach

Upper endoscopy or EGD is a nonsurgical procedure which uses a flexible telescope to look inside your esophagus and stomach. It can even look into the first part of your small intestines (duodenum). This flexible telescope is similar to the flexible colonoscope used to diagnose colon cancer, but is shorter and smaller in diameter.

EGD is performed in the hospital in a special treatment room. Usually the patient is sedated with special medicine (a "twilight" sleep) so they have no discomfort during the procedure. This procedure is performed as an outpatient and typically only takes about 15-30 minutes. Sometimes, the paperwork takes longer than the procedure!

The surgeons in Windham Surgical Group have been performing EGD at the Windham Hospital for over 25 years and are very skilled in both the diagnosis of stomach ulcers and cancer as well as performing biopsies in the stomach when necessary. The surgeons in Windham Surgical Group are all board certified.

The middle or "body" of the esophagus is smooth and milky white normally (seen here). When there is significant GERD it becomes irritated and red.

The end of the esophagus or "GE junction" is where people suffer heart burn or acid indigestion also know as GERD

Often when a patient complains of heart burn, indigestion or stomach pain an EGD can be performed to discover if an ulcer is responsible. Some times a bacterial infection (H. Pylori) causes ulcers and this can be diagnosed on the upper endoscopy. This type of infection is treated both with antibiotics, but also a special medicine that reduces the acid in your stomach (a "PPI" or proton pump inhibitor). These medicines may be familiar to you because they are advertised heavily on the TV!

The "pylorus" ; this is the valve that connects the stomach to the intestine.

The "duodenum" ; this is the first part of the small intestine and is a common place for bleeding ulcers.

Gratefully, stomach cancer and esophageal cancer are rare in this country, but these can be diagnosed on EGD. These may require surgery and other specialized procedures (radiation therapy and chemotherapy). The upper endoscopy can see the tumor, biopsy it and give some information about the size of the tumor. Other tests like a CAT scan may be necessary to gain further information regarding the extent of the tumor.

The surgeon will review his findings with you after the procedure and, if any biopsies were done, will call you a few days later (typically 2-5 days) to go over the results with you.

The EGD is a very safe procedure, but because it is an invasive procedure, there is some slight risk of complications: bleeding and perforation and a slight risk of actually missing a lesion. If there is any concern following your procedure (neck pain, abdominal pain, vomiting blood or passing blood per rectum) please call our office or if you think urgent enough, simply call 911 and get into the emergency room. These types of complications are exceedingly rare.

162 Mansfield Avenue Willimantic, Connecticut 06226

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