How Your Doctor Tests for IBD

Upper Endoscopy

• An upper endoscopy is a test where your doctor will put a tube with a camera down your esophagus (the “food pipe”), stomach and first part of your small intestine (“the duodenum”).
• An upper endoscopy is also called an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (or EGD for short).
• Your doctor will take pictures to show you if there is inflammation. Your doctor will probably also take biopsies (or small tissue samples) to look for inflammation under the microscope.
• In most cases, your will be fully asleep during your upper endoscopy. The procedure is not painful. You will be taken care of by the entire endoscopy team including pediatric nurses, pediatric anesthesia doctors, child life specialists and your gastroenterologist.

Colonoscopy

• A colonoscopy is a test where your doctor will put a camera into your bottom to look at both your large intestine (colon) and the last part of your small intestine (or ileum).
• Your doctor can both take pictures and small tissue samples to look for inflammation.
• The procedure is not painful and you will be asleep during the procedure. You will be taken care of by the entire endoscopy team including pediatric nurses, pediatric anesthesia doctors, child life specialists and your gastroenterologist.
• On the day before the colonoscopy, you will need to drink medicines to help you get rid of most of the stool (poop) in your intestines. This helps the doctor see the lining of your bowel. You will need to eat lighter meals on the day before, using instructions from our office. Talk with your doctor if you have any questions.

Pill Endoscopy

• A pill endoscopy (capsule endoscopy) is a test to look for inflammation in the small intestine. Even if you have had an upper endoscopy and colonoscopy, most of your small intestine has not been examined. This is a test that allows for the small intestine to be examined fully.
• A pill endoscopy is usually done after someone has an upper endoscopy and colonoscopy. Not all patients need to have a pill endoscopy.
• For a capsule endoscopy, you will need to swallow a pill that contains a wireless camera that takes pictures of your small intestine. It is different than the other tests (described above) because no tissue samples can be taken from the pill endoscopy.
• Pictures of your small intestine are taken to look for signs of inflammation.
• The “pill” is swallowed in the morning, and you wear a battery pack on your belt to record pictures. You return to the office later that day to bring back the battery pack but not the “pill”.
• The “pill” eventually comes out in your poop and does not need to be returned.

Rev. 11/2013

This document is intended to provide health related information so that you may be better informed. It is not a substitute for a doctor's medical advice and should not be relied upon for treatment for specific medical conditions.