Is Throat Investigated During An Endoscopy?

Posted on Fri, 28 Feb 2014

Question: I had an EGD/ colonoscopy done 2 weeks ago by my gastro. My reflux causes me globes and difficulty swallowing which concerned me. I got the report back and they said all was fine aside from some inflamation. I also cough a lot and now i'm wondering if the gastro looks at your throat, larynx, and all the upper stuff during that procedure or do I have to go to an ENT for that. This is confusing because both procedures are called endoscopies. So basically my question is, If the gastro scoped me am I good?

Answered by Dr. Chobufo Ditah (1 hour later)

Brief Answer: You are good, don't need to see an ENT right now. Detailed Answer: Hi and thank you so much for trusting us with your query. I am so sorry to hear about these symptoms you have reported. During the exam, the doctor looks at the throat, esophagus and all the way to the stomach. The GI would not look into the respiratory passages like the larynx, bronchi etc. Endoscopy in medical terms means inspecting internal organs. When it goes, EGD(esophagus-gastric(stomach), duodenum) are the organs that are looked into. In all, reflux disease is one of the most common causes of persistent irritative cough. It is no surprise that you also have this symptom given the findings of your EGD. You are good. There is no reason to consider seeing an ENT specialist at this time. Medications to relief your reflux would also address this cough. The best drugs for this condition are omeprazole or ranitidine. Also, you should avoid smoking, coffee, fatty meals, chocolate, eating late at night, leaning forward soon after eating, etc as these make symptoms of reflux worse. I hope this addresses your query fully. Thank you for using our services and please feel free to ask for follow up questions if need be. I wish you well. Dr. Ditah, MD.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Chobufo Ditah (6 days later)

The reason for the Scope was because i've been experiencing stomach pain and reflux a lot. I have had stomach issues for years but about 4 months ago my wife and I got some sort of stomach bug that gave both of us weird BM. We had slightly loose formed stool and mucus. I also noticed a clear film on the toilet water. I had blood work done to check liver, pancreas, etc. I also had the EGD and fecal blood test. All were normal. My stool returned to normal but that film still is there( sometimes almost none and sometimes like it was). I'm just concerned about my liver because I have had back or disk issues for years and have taken pain meds for 5-6 years. My total daily intake of acetaminophen is never more than 1200mg. I also maintain the same weight after almost 5 months. None of my doctors are concerned and GI says the film is mucus and that she already checked my liver.

Answered by Dr. Chobufo Ditah (8 hours later)

Brief Answer: There is no redflag for the liver! Detailed Answer: Hi and thank you so much for this follow up precision. For true, there is no need to be concerned about your liver. There is nothing that suggests a liver problem. Maybe the acetaminophen scares you but the quantity is minimal. We do not expect to see liver damage with minimal doses like these. We recommend up to 4g per day if need be and thus 1200mg should not be much of a problem. Mucus rarely has any relationship with the liver. all tests have suggested you are doing good. So why do you want to keep hurting yourself with these troubling thoughts? Please stop the torture and regain confidence in your doctors. I hope this helps. I wish you well. Dr. Ditah, MD.

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar