Endoscopy is a non-surgical procedure that allows your doctor to look at your upper or lower digestive tract. Your doctor uses a thin, flexible tube, with a tiny camera and light on the end, to view images of your digestive tract on a computer screen. Patients are usually sedated during the test to minimize any pain or discomfort and to limit patient movement (which helps your doctor better diagnose your condition).
Valley Regional Medical Center in Brownsville, TX offers advanced endoscopy services, including colonoscopy, gastroscopy, ERCP, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and more. Our outpatient endoscopy department is staffed with experienced gastroenterologist (GI) physicians who believe, like everyone at Valley Regional, in treating patients like family.
Upper Endoscopy Tests
An upper endoscopy looks at the upper digestive tract including your esophagus, throat, stomach and upper intestines. This test is typically used to diagnose conditions like anemia, celiac disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and cancer. The procedure is also useful as part of an ulcer and heartburn treatment plan.
Colonoscopy Exam
A colonoscopy procedure, or lower GI endoscopy, examines the inner lining of your large intestine (rectum and colon). This test helps you doctor find polyps, tumors and ulcers. Your GI doctor can also do a biopsy during the test as a way to screen for colon cancer.
Gastroscopy
Gastroscopy is a procedure that examines the inside of the stomach and is used in patients experiencing acid reflux, abdominal pain or who have difficulty swallowing. This procedure is often used to repair bleeding ulcers, widen a blocked esophagus or remove non-cancerous growths or early-stage tumors.
Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)
ERCP uses both endoscopy and fluoroscopy, an imaging technique that uses x-rays. ERCP is helpful in the diagnosis or treatment of conditions such as gallstones, bile duct tumors and obstructive jaundice.
Bronchoscopy & Bronchial Thermoplasty
A bronchoscopy is a type of endoscopy that allows doctors to view the inside of your lungs and airways. It can be used to diagnose or treat any number of breathing issues, including asthma.
A relatively new treatment for chronic asthma is bronchial thermoplasty, an endoscopic procedure that reduces the thickening in the bronchus (smooth muscle) around the lungs. For people with asthma, that muscle thickens over time making it harder to breathe. Bronchial thermoplasty can reduce the severity and frequency of asthma attacks.
3D Guided Endoscopic Sinus Procedures
Endoscopy can also be used to treat some ear, nose & throat (ENT) problems. At Valley Regional Medical Center, specialists perform endoscopic sinus procedures to treat chronic sinus infections. Our 3D navigation system decreases the procedure time, meaning less time spent under general anesthesia and a quicker recovery time for patients.
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