Southern Cross Wellington Hospital - General Surgery

A long, flexible tube with a tiny camera attached (gastroscope) is inserted through your mouth and moved down your digestive tract. This allows the surgeon a view of the upper part of your digestive tract i.e. oesophagus (food pipe), stomach and duodenum (top section of the small intestine). Sometimes a biopsy (small tissue sample) will need to be taken during the procedure for later examination at a laboratory.