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GASTROSCOPY &
COLONOSCOPY
DIRECT ACCESS BOOKING FORM FOR GASTROSCOPY AND COLONOSCOPY
Please fill in the form and we will contact you to schedule your endoscopy appointment
PLEASE NOTE:
This is a self-referral or direct access booking form for a gastroscopy and/or colonoscopy, without having a clinical review. You will be contacted by a clinic nurse to help you choose the date and location of the endoscopy. You may need a review in a clinic or a teleclinic before your scope if you have a significant medical history, are taking anticoagulant, have kidney failure or are elderly (>80 years). This is done for patient safety reasons.
*For Health Screening, your insurance may not approve the claim; this is usually self-paid.
*Patients using corporate insurances need to be seen in the clinic first.
Video – link explanation about insurance Approval
Video – link Instruction before your Gastroscopy:
Video – link Instruction before your Colonoscopy (Bowel Preparation):
Video – link of Parkway East Video (PS: Must remember to credit IHH Healthcare and Parkway East Hospital)
What is a Gastroscopy?
Gastroscopy is a very safe outpatient procedure and takes less than 10 minutes. It is a simple test in which a thin, flexible fibreoptic telescope is inserted through the mouth and into the stomach for a complete visualization of the cause of your symptoms. No preparation is required other than fasting for 6 hours. You will be given a local anaesthetic spray to numb the throat and an intravenous sedation.
Gastric (stomach) cancer can often remain asymptomatic for a long time, especially in the early stages. As such, it usually presents late. The usual symptoms are vague upper abdominal pain or discomfort. It can also cause early satiety (fullness after a small meal), vomiting, loss of weight, loss of appetite, fatigue, or anaemia (low blood count due to bleeding).
Occasionally, it may present as an emergency with severe pain from perforation, or bleeding (vomiting of blood or passage of black stools due to altered blood).
Stomach/ gastric cancer (GC) is the 4th most common cancer related death in male, and the 5th most common cancer related death in female, in Singapore. In addition, 75% of all the GC in the world occurs in Asia. The number of new GC cases remains high and are still rising in Asia because of the increase in aging population. At the time of diagnosis, most GC (up to 45%) are diagnosed at stage 4 (which means the cancer has spread from where it started to another organ). Hence, the key to survival is early diagnosis.
Indication for Gastroscopy
- Difficulty swallowing/ dysphagia or painful swallowing/ odynophagia
- Persistent dyspepsia/ acid reflux not controlled after 2 weeks of treatment/ antacids/ PPI
- Unexplained weight loss/ upper abdominal mass/ pain
- Persistent vomiting
- Iron deficiency anaemia
- Patients aged ≥40 years with unexplained & persistent recent-onset dyspepsia
- Abnormal findings on barium studies, CT or US scanning
Other Indications
- Patients with haematemesis (vomiting blood) and/or melaena (passing black stool)
- To confirm healing of oesophageal or gastric ulcer
- Surveillance of high risks/premalignant conditions eg gastric intestinal metaplasia/ dysplasia, Barrett’s oesophagus/ dysplasia – these may need endoscopic treatment.
- Small bowel biopsies to investigate malabsorption
- Screening in patients with a family history of oesophageal/ gastric cancer
- Surveillance or screening in patients with FAP because of the risk of duodenal polyps
- Surveillance for oesophago-gastric varices in patients with suspicion of portal hypertension/ liver disease/ cirrhosis on liver biopsy or varices on imaging)
- Elevated tumour marker eg CEA, CA19-9, CA 125
If you have recent onset of “gastric pain” or any of the symptom mentioned above, and you have not been investigated before, a gastroscopy is recommended.
What is a Colonoscopy?
Colonoscopy is a procedure where the inside of the colon is examined by passing a flexible fibreoptic camera tube through the length of the colon via the anus. The procedure is usually performed under sedation – so you will be comfortable and pain free. If a growth/ polyp in the colon is detected, your doctor will remove the growth completely if possible and send it for further testing to rule out cancer. Colonoscopy has been shown to be very safe and is the best way to rule out and screen for colorectal cancer.
Indication for Colonoscopy
1) Symptoms suggestive of colorectal cancer (CRC):
- ≥40 years old with rectal bleeding with a change of bowel habit towards looser stools and/or increased stool frequency persisting for 6 weeks or more
- Patients at any age with altered blood or blood mixed in stool
- ≥60 years old with rectal bleeding persisting for 6 weeks or more without a change in bowel habit and without anal symptoms
- ≥60 years old with a change in bowel habit to looser stools and/or more frequent stools persisting for 6 weeks or more without rectal bleeding
- Men of any age with unexplained iron deficiency anaemia
- Non-menstruating women with unexplained iron deficiency anaemia
2) Other indications:
- Patients with melaena (passing black stool) after excluding upper GI source
- Patients with emergency admission with rectal bleeding
- Clinically significant diarrhoea of unexplained origin (including microscopic colitis)
- Abnormal findings in colon on barium enema, CT or virtual (CT) colonography
- Unexplained abnormalities of terminal ileum on small bowel imaging
- Persistent abdominal symptoms with raised CRP or faecal calprotectin
3) Screening in patients with significant family history of CRC
4) After identification/ removal of colonic adenomas, and for clearing the whole colon of synchronous neoplasia in patients with CRC
5) In patients with positive faecal occult blood/ FIT tests as part of bowel cancer screening
6) Assessment of neo-terminal ileal recurrence of Crohns following right hemi-colectomy to determine need for medical therapy
7) Assessment of extent and activity of known IBD
8) Surveillance of patients with IBD/ FAP
9) Surveillance after resection of CRC
DISCHARGE INSTRUCTIONS FOR ADULT PATIENT WHO HAD SEDATION FOR GASTROSCOPY/ COLONOSCOPY
You have received medications (analgesia and / or sedative) that cause drowsiness. This may last for several hours after you leave the hospital. Since both coordination and judgement may be affected, you are advised to comply to the following instructions:
- You are required to go home and rest
- You should be accompanied by an adult who will assume responsibility for transporting you home and staying with you, and he/ she must be able to call for help if there is any problem/ complication
- Do NOT drive a vehicle or operate any machinery for the next 24 hours
- Do NOT drink alcohol for the next 24 hours
- Do NOT conduct business/ sign any legal documents for the next 24 hours
If you notice anything unusual, are feeling unwell or in severe pain, or if you have any question, please call (Monday to Friday 8 am to 5 pm, Saturday 8 am to 1 pm):
+65 67378538
PanAsia Surgery, Mt Elizabeth Hospital
+65 65702608
PanAsia Surgery, Mt Elizabeth Novena Hospital
+65 63466348
PanAsia Surgery, Parkway East Hospital
After Hours, Please Call the 24 hours Emergency Clinic: +65 63335550