Patient Education Brochures

Any facility in which gastrointestinal endoscopy is performed must have an effective quality assurance program in place to ensure that endoscopes are reprocessed properly.

Colonoscopy enables your doctor to examine the lining of your colon for abnormalities by inserting a flexible tube as thick as your finger into your anus and slowly advancing it into the rectum and colon.

Colonoscopy enables your doctor to examine the lining of your colon for abnormalities by inserting a flexible tube as thick as your finger into your anus and slowly advancing it into the rectum and colon.

ASGE encourages you to talk with your healthcare provider about colon cancer screening and encourages everyone over the age of 50 to undergo the appropriate CRC screening.

If your doctor has recommended a flexible sigmoidoscopy, this brochure will give you a basic understanding of the procedure - how it is performed, how it can help, and what side effects you might experience.

Polyps are benign growths involving the lining of the bowel (noncancerous tumors or neoplasms). They can occur in several locations in the gastrointestinal tract but are most common in the colon.

EUS provides your doctor more detailed pictures of your anatomy. Your doctor can use EUS to diagnose the cause of conditions such as abdominal pain, abnormal weight loss, or to better evaluate an abnormality.

Upper endoscopy lets your doctor examine the lining of the upper part of your gastrointestinal tract, which includes the esophagus, stomach and duodenum (first portion of the small intestine).

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, or ERCP, is a specialized technique used to study the ducts of the gallbladder, pancreas and liver.

Capsule Endoscopy lets your doctor examine the lining of the middle part of your GI tract with a pill sized video capsule called an endoscope, which has its own light source, and will display the images on a video monitor.

Esophageal dilation is a procedure that allows your doctor to dilate, or stretch, a narrowed area of your esophagus [swallowing tube].

Gastroesophageal reflux occurs when contents in the stomach flow back into the esophagus.

PEG is a procedure through which a flexible feeding tube is placed through the abdominal wall and into the stomach, allowing nutrition, fluids and/or medications to bypass the mouth and esophagus.

The esophagus is the tube that connects your throat to your stomach. Muscle in the wall of the esophagus contracts to push food down to your stomach. A sphincter (muscle) at the lower end of the esophagus remains closed except when food or liquid is swallowed or when you belch or vomit.

Diverticulosis is a condition in which there are small pouches or pockets in the wall or lining of any portion of the digestive tract. These pockets occur when the inner layer of the digestive tract pushes through weak spots in the outer layer.

Minor rectal bleeding refers to the passage of a few drops of bright red (fresh) blood from the rectum, which may appear on the stool, on the toilet paper or in the toilet bowl.

Barrett’s esophagus is a condition in which the lining of the esophagus changes,becoming more like the lining of the small intestine rather than the esophagus. This occurs in the area where the esophagus is joined to the stomach.