Colonoscopy & Endoscopy Procedures

At UNC REX Healthcare and REX Digestive Health, our staff of highly-trained professionals and specialists are committed to offering you the best possible service in conjunction with our advanced state-of-the-art technology and equipment. Our goal is to be an active part in the advancement, treatment and prevention of gastrointestinal, pulmonary and liver disease through empathetic, exceptional patient care.

What is an Endoscopy?

An endoscopy, or specifically an upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy, is a test that lets your doctor look at the inside of your esophagus and stomach, and the first part of the small intestine. During the procedure, the doctor will put a thin, flexible tube, called a scope, in your mouth and gently move it down the throat into your stomach.

The doctor can check to see what's causing belly pain or trouble swallowing, or look for signs of problems, such as acid backing up into the esophagus or bleeding in the stomach. The doctor may also use the scope to take a sample of tissue to be tested, called a biopsy, or take out growths or stop bleeding.

You'll get medicine to prevent pain and help you relax. You won't feel or remember the procedure, and you'll be able to breathe normally during the procedure. The produce usually takes 15- 30 minutes, but you'll remain at the facility until the medicine wears off, usually after 1-2 hours.

Endoscopy Procedures

Colonoscopy
Endoscopic retrograde chalangiopancreatography (ERCP)
Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS)
Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD)
Capsule edoscopy
Small bowel enteroscopy

Other Procedures

Breath testing
Manometry
Hemmorhoid banding
pH/impedance

Anorectal Manometry

Anorectal manometry evaluates rectal muscle tone and sensation. A small flexible manometry catheter will be inserted into your rectum, and pressure measurements will be taken while the nurse asks the patient to follow simple commands to evaluate muscle tone. A variety of patients are seen for chronic constipation, rectal pain and rectal incontinence.

Do not eat or drink anything after midnight.
You must take a Fleet enema one hour prior to arriving for this test.
Arrive one hour prior to your scheduled appointment time.

Bronchoscopy

Bronchoscopy is an examination of the lining of the pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi and lungs using a flexible bronchoscope. During the procedure, tissue sample(s) may be taken without surgical interventions.

Arrive two hours prior to your scheduled appointment time.
Bring any inhalers and radiology films with you.
If your doctor's office has provided you with a mask, please make sure that you wear this upon entering the hospital.
You will be taken directly to endoscopy, so you will need a friend or family member present to register you.

Colonoscopy

A colonoscopy is an examination of the lining of the large intestines from the anus to the cecum (where the small bowel ends) using a flexible endoscope. During the procedure, tissue sample(s) may be taken and polyps may be removed without surgical interventions. It is important to take all of the laxative preparation the physician orders for you. If you experience problems, call your doctor.

Learn more about colonoscopy procedure at REX Digestive Health.

Endoscopic Retrograde Chalangiopancreatography (ERCP)

ERCP is an important tool in the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases of the pancreas, bile ducts, liver and gallbladder. During an ERCP, an endoscope is passed through the mouth, down the throat and into the duodenum (the first portion of the small bowel).

Throughout the procedure, the physician may inject contrast dye and use fluoroscopy (live X-ray) to visualize the bile duct, pancreatic duct and biliary tree. Therapies can be performed during the procedure to both treat and provide palliative care for many different diseases of the pancreas, bile ducts, liver and gallbladder.

Esophageal 24-hour pH Monitoring

Esophageal 24-hour pH monitoring places a flexible catheter in the esophagus to monitor esophageal acid exposure. Acid is normally found in the stomach but not in the esophagus. If acid is detected, it is indicative of reflux from the stomach. The pH catheter will be inserted into your nose, down the throat and into the stomach. It will be worn for 24 hours. The catheter will transmit data to a recorder that you will use to record reflux symptoms. You will go home with written instructions and return as directed at the end of the test to return the data logger.

Arrive one hours prior to your scheduled appointment time.
Do not eat or drink anything after midnight.
Do not smoke before this test.
Check with your physician to see if you need to stop any medications for this test, including over-the-counter medications.
Wear a button-down shirt (no pullovers).
The catheter will be taped to your nose and neck and connected to a data logger.
No showering, bathing or swimming until the catheter is removed.
After 24 hours, you must return to the hospital to have the catheter removed and to return the data logger.
Let your nurse know if you are allergic to the numbing medicine used at a dentist's office.

Esophageal Manometry

Esophageal manometry measures muscle pressures during the contraction and relaxation of the esophageal muscles when swallowing. The procedure is performed by inserting a flexible manometry catheter into the nose, down the throat and into the stomach. A succession of swallows will then be measured.

Esophageal manometry is used to evaluate patients with swallowing difficulties as well as provide anatomical information for patients being evaluated for esophageal surgery.

Do not eat or drink anything after midnight.
Check with your physician to see if you need to stop any medications for this test, including over-the-counter medications.
Let your nurse know if you are allergic to the numbing medicine used at a dentist's office.

Esophageal Ultrasonoghrapy (EUS)

EUS allows a specially trained physician to use an endoscope with an ultrasound transducer to examine internal structures through the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. EUS is also especially useful for examining the wall layers of the organs of both the upper and lower GI tract. This procedure is often used as a means of diagnosing unexplained findings on an EGD, X-ray or CT scan.

Arrive two hour prior to your scheduled appointment time.
Do not eat or drink anything after midnight.
Check with your physician to see if you need to stop any medications for this test, including over-the-counter medications.

Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD)

EGD is the examination of the upper digestive tract, including the esophagus, stomach and duodenum (beginning of the small bowel) using a flexible endoscope. During the procedure, tissue sample(s) may be taken and therapies may be performed without surgical interventions.

Arrive two hour prior to your scheduled appointment time.
Do not eat or drink anything after midnight.
Check with your physician to see if you need to stop any medications for this test, including over-the-counter medications.

Flexible Sigmoidoscopy

Flexible sigmoidoscopy is the examination of the lining of the lower portion of large intestine from the anus to the end of the sigmoid colon. It is performed much like a colonoscopy and allows for tissue samples to be taken and polyps to be removed without surgical interventions.

Arrive two hour prior to your scheduled appointment time.
Do not eat or drink anything after midnight.
Check with your physician to see if you need to stop any medications for this test, including over-the-counter medications.

Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG) Tube Placement

PEG tube placement is a procedure during which a feeding tube will be placed into the stomach during an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). PEG tube placement requires that a very small incision be made in the abdomen through which the tube will enter the stomach for delivery of nutrition.

This incision is small enough that it does not require any stitches and will be dressed with a small bandage after the procedure. At the time of your appointment, you will be given further instructions regarding care for your feeding tube.

Arrive two hour prior to your scheduled appointment time.
Do not eat or drink anything after midnight.
Check with your physician to see if you need to stop any medications for this test, including over-the-counter medications.

Small Bowel Capsule Endoscopy (M2A)

M2A is a procedure during which a small color camera pill, about the size of a multivitamin, is swallowed and allowed to pass through the entire gastrointestinal tract. As the capsule travels through your small bowel, it will transmit a video of your small bowel to the sensors placed on your abdomen. These sensors are connected to a recorder.

After the procedure, the data on the recorder will be downloaded onto a computer, enabling your physician to visually examine your small bowel. You will swallow the M2A capsule in the morning and return eight hours later to have the sensors removed and the recorder downloaded.

Arrive one hour prior to your scheduled appointment time.
Do not take iron or vitamins with iron for five days before the scheduled test.
If you have had any surgery on your bowels, have a pacemaker or have an internal defibrillator, please notify your physician.
The day prior to your procedure, eat a normal diet until noon, then drink clear liquids only until 8 p.m. (nothing red, blue, orange or purple that could look like blood in the bowels).
If your doctor prescribed a magnesium citrate bowel preparation, take this at 8 p.m. the night before your test. This will empty out your bowels.
Do not eat or drink anything after finishing the magnesium citrate prep.
Please notify your physician if you have any abdominal pain or change in bowel habits after this test is completed.
Do not have a magnetic resonance image test (MRI) for 30 days after the M2A capsule has been swallowed or until capsule passage can be confirmed. It is very important that you do not come within close proximity of a powerful electromagnetic source, such as MRIs or HAM radios, while capsules are inside your body.