Because of the location of many swallowing, reflux and esophageal conditions, we can often help with minimally invasive procedures using an endoscope, a special scope threaded through the nose and down the throat.
Endoscopic Treatments
Potential treatments include:
- Endoscopic full thickness resection (EFTR). The specialist places an endoscope down your throat into the esophagus, stomach or small intestine to remove tumors or abnormal tissue. With EFTR, the provider targets deeper tissues than other procedures, in which only some layers of the GI tract wall are removed. The tissue is sent to pathology to determine for testing. If it is cancerous, your specialist will then speak to you about further treatment.
- You will either go home the same day as EFTR or spend one night in the hospital. Before you go, we will use a CT scan or X-ray to be sure there are no leaks at the site where we removed the tumor.
- Risks include the standard ones for any procedure – bleeding and infection - plus there is a risk that part of the tumor is left behind or the GI tract is perforated.
- After the procedure, you will be placed on a liquid diet for a few days and progress to a soft diet and then a normal diet over a week or so.
- Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR). If other testing finds a tumor or abnormal tissue in your esophagus, stomach, colon or small intestine, we might use EMR to remove it. The specialist will thread an endoscope and tiny instruments to the affected area to remove the tumor/tissue. We are one of few centers in the country with experts in EMR, a less invasive alternative to surgery. The tissue is sent to pathology for testing. If it is cancerous, your specialist will speak to you about further treatment.
- You will either go home the same day as your EMR or spend one night in the hospital. Before you go, we will use a CT scan or X-ray to be sure there are no leaks at the site where we removed the tumor.
- Risks include the standard ones for any procedure – bleeding and infection - plus there is the risk of perforation of the GI tract. If the procedure targets the esophagus, there is the risk of scarring at the site where the tissue is removed. That could lead to trouble swallowing.
- After the procedure, you may be placed on a liquid diet for the first few days and progress to a soft diet and then a normal diet over a week or so.
- Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatopgraphy (ERCP). This procedure allows your specialist to examine your bile duct and pancreatic duct using an endoscope and special X-rays using a fluoroscopy. Contrast dye will be injected so we can trace its movement through your pancreatic and bile ducts and spot any trouble functioning, tumors or strictures. Using the endoscope threaded down your throat, we can then treat those issues.
- You will likely go home the same day as the procedure.
- About 5-10% of people having ERCP experience complications. Possible complications include adverse reaction to the anesthesia, bowel injury or perforation to the digestive tract, infection, irritation or inflammation of pancreas.
- After the procedure, you may be placed on a liquid diet for the first few days and progress to a normal diet over a week or so.
- Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). Similar to EMR, if our specialists find a tumor or abnormal tissue on any layer of the GI tract, they can thread an endoscope and tiny instruments down the throat to remove them. Again, we are one of few centers in the country with experts in this approach. The tissue is sent to pathology for testing. If it is cancerous, your specialist will then speak to you about further treatment.
- You will either go home the same day as the ESD or spend one night in the hospital. Before you go, we will use a CT scan or X-ray to be sure there are no leaks at the site where we removed the tumor.
- Risks include the standard ones for any procedure — bleeding and infection — plus there is the risk of perforation of the GI tract. If the procedure targets the esophagus, there is the risk of scarring at the site where the tissue is removed. That could lead to trouble swallowing.
- After the procedure, you will be placed on a liquid diet for the first few days and progress to a soft diet and then a normal diet over a week or so.