Gastroscopy is a procedure to diagnose various conditions that relate to the oesophagus, stomach and beginning of the small bowel. Gastroscopy is usually performed as an outpatient or day-only procedure requiring a light anaesthetic (sedation).
Gastroscopy is used to diagnose conditions such as stomach ulcers, cancers and reflux. A patient may require a gastroscopy following abdominal pain, vomiting or bleeding, to identify the problem.
Gastroscopies can also be used to deliver therapies that were once the realm of major open surgeries including treatment of gallstones, pancreatitis, Barrett’s oesophagus, cancers and achalasia. Dr Talbot is one of the few Upper GI surgeons in Australia performing a new technique called Per-Oral Endoscopic Myotomy (POEM) for achalasia and other complex swallowing disorders.
