Chapter 14: Gastrointestinal System; Diagnostic Tests and Procedures

examination within a body cavity with a flexible endoscope for diagnosis or treatment; used in the gastrointestinal tract to detect abnormalities and perform procedures such as biopsies, excision of lesions, dilations of narrowed areas, and removal of swallowed objects

examination of the esophagus with an esophagoscope

examination of the stomach with a gastroscope

examination of the lining of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum with a flexible endoscope

endoscopic procedure including x-ray fluoroscopy to examine the ducts of the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas

examination of the abdominal cavity with a laparoscope

examination of the peritoneal cavity with a peritoneoscope; often perfomed to examine the liver and obtain a biopsy specimen

examination of the small intestine made by a tiny video camera placed in a capsule and swallowed; images are transmitted to a waist-belt recorder and downloaded onto a computer for assessment of possible abnormalities; traditional endoscopy cannot completely access the small intestine because of its length and complexity

examination of the colon using a flexible colonoscope

examination of the sigmoid colon with a rigid or flexible sigmoidoscope

examination of the rectum and anus with a proctoscope

nonionizing imaging technique for visualizing the abdominal cavity to identify disease or deformity in the gastrointestinal tract

radionuclide organ imaging

scan of the liver made after injection of radioactive tracers into the bloodstream; used to detect tumors and functional abnormalities

x-ray of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum after the patient has swallowed a contrast medium

x-ray of the esophagus only; often used to locate swallowed objects

x-ray using a fluorescent screen to visualize structures in motion

x-ray exam of the small intestine - generally done in conjunction with an upper GI series

x-ray of the colon after administration of an enema containing a contrast medium

x-ray of the bile ducts; often performed during surgery

x-ray of the gallbladder taken after oral ingestion of iodine

cross-sectional x-ray of the abdomen used to identify a condition or anomaly within the gastrointestinal tract

computed tomographic image of the colon performed as an alternative to traditional invasive colonoscopy

ultrasound image of the abdomen to detect disease or deformity in organs and vascular structures

endoscopic procedure using a sonographic transducer within an endoscope to examine a body cavity and make sonographic images of structures and tissues

removal of tissue for microscopic pathological examination

removal of a specimen for biopsy during an endoscopic procedure

removal of an entire lesion for examination

removal of a portion of a lesion for examination

percutaneous removal of a core specimen of tissue using a special hollow needle

isolation of a stool specimen in a culture medium to identify disease-causing organisms; if present, the drugs to which they are sensitive are listed

chemical test of a stool specimen to detect the presence of blood; positive findings indicate bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract