Upper GI Endoscopy (Gastroscopy) in Hyderabad

Upper GI endoscopy is a procedure that lets a gastroenterologist directly examine the esophagus, stomach, and the first part of the small intestine (the duodenum) using a thin, flexible tube with a camera at its tip. It's one of the most frequently performed and most informative tests in gastroenterology, since it allows direct visual diagnosis, tissue sampling, and — in many cases — immediate treatment, all in a single short procedure. At KAGE, upper GI endoscopy underpins the diagnosis of most of the conditions treated across the practice, from GERD and gastritis to achalasia and peptic ulcer disease.

• Diagnostic endoscopy — investigating symptoms such as persistent reflux, difficulty swallowing, or unexplained abdominal pain
• Surveillance endoscopy — periodic monitoring for known conditions such as Barrett's esophagus or after treatment for peptic ulcer
• Therapeutic endoscopy — combined with biopsy, polyp or lesion removal, dilation for strictures, or control of bleeding during the same session

• Persistent heartburn or reflux not responding to treatment
• Difficulty or pain swallowing (dysphagia or odynophagia)
• Unexplained upper abdominal pain
• Unexplained weight loss
• Iron-deficiency anemia without an obvious cause
• Persistent nausea or vomiting
• Suspected upper GI bleeding
• Surveillance for a previously diagnosed condition such as Barrett's esophagus

• GERD-related esophagitis and Barrett's esophagus
• Peptic ulcers and gastritis, including H. pylori infection via biopsy
• Hiatal hernia
• Celiac disease, via duodenal biopsy
• Stomach or esophageal tumors
• The source of upper GI bleeding

Fasting for 6–8 hours beforehand is standard, to ensure the stomach is empty for a clear examination. Your care team will review current medications, particularly blood thinners, and explain the choice between sedation and a local throat-numbing spray.

With sedation, most patients don't feel or remember the procedure; with throat spray alone, there's typically a brief gag sensation as the scope passes, though many patients tolerate this well. The scope is gently advanced through the esophagus into the stomach and duodenum while the lining is examined on a monitor; biopsies are taken if needed. The procedure usually takes 10–15 minutes.

If sedated, patients need someone to drive them home and shouldn't drive for the rest of the day. A mild sore throat is common and settles within a day. Eating and drinking can usually resume once numbness or sedation wears off, generally within a couple of hours. Visual findings are typically discussed right after the procedure; biopsy results usually take a few days.

A single upper GI endoscopy answers several questions at once, which is why it is the first test for most persistent upper GI symptoms. It provides gastritis diagnosis and peptic ulcer diagnosis with biopsy, hiatal hernia diagnosis by direct measurement, celiac disease diagnosis from duodenal biopsies, and the tissue that gastric cancer diagnosis and esophageal cancer diagnosis both depend on. Children are scoped through pediatric endoscopy with smaller instruments and a paediatric anaesthetic team, and corrosive injury evaluation is timed deliberately after ingestion rather than done straight away. Our gastroenterologists confirm which indication applies before the procedure — to arrange one, book a consultation.