ECG
An ECG, or electrocardiogram, records the electrical activity of the heart. It can reveal any problems with the heart's rhythm or beat.
Though it does not provide a complete picture of the heart's condition, an ECG offers background information on various types of heart disease. It can provide clues in cases of:
- Chest pain, fainting, difficulty in breathing or palpitations
- Narrowing of the arteries. This is done with an ECG before and after exercise (an exercise stress test)
- Measuring a person's risk of heart attack.
- Monitoring the effectivess of any coronary drugs.
- A slow or fast heart beat.
The test is painless and takes about a minute. Up to 12 electrodes are attached to arms, legs and chest. Electrical activity is measured and appears on a paper printout.
ERCP or endoscopy
ERCP, or endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography, is an x-ray of the pancreatic and bile ducts combined with the injection of a dye to make them show up. The bile ducts drain bile from the liver while the pancreatic duct drains pancreatic juice from the pancreas. Both open into the first part of the small intestine (the duodenum).
It detects any diseases in the bile or pancreatic ducts: cancer, gall stones, infections, and so on, or any unexplained pain in the area. It checks for blockage to the bile ducts, which can cause jaundice. An ERCP can also remove gall stones from the bile ducts.
You will be asked to fast for six hours before the x-ray. When you arrive at the x-ray department, your throat will be treated with an anaesthetic spray. You will be given a sedative to make you relax and then you'll be given an endoscope, or narrow fibre tube, which you will have to swallow.
The endoscope is threaded through to the duodenum and into the ducts which lead to the gall bladder and the pancreas. The dye is injected down the tube and the X-rays are taken.
If the x-ray detect a stone in the bile duct, this can be removed by enlarging the lower end of the duct and dragging it out.
Recovery time is usually a few hours for the sedative to wear off. If a stone has been removed, you may need to stay in hospital overnight.
The ERCP is safe, but in a small number of cases, the dye causes irritation. Pregnant women are not advised to take the test.
Gastroscopy
Gastroscopy is an examination of the inside of the gullet, stomach and duodenum. It is performed using a flexible fibre-optic instrument called a gastroscope or endoscope, which can take photographs of the area and transmit them to a TV monitor. It is fast replacing the Barium meal (an x-ray using dye) as an investigation tool.
It studies the stomach, gullet and duodenum for irritation, wounds, or tumours. It is often used to investigate cases of persistent indigestion and ulcers. Also, increasingly, it is used to obtain biopsies from the top of the small bowel for signs of a condition called coeliac disease.
Your throat will be treated with an anaesthetic spray. You will be given a sedative to make you relax and then you'll be handed the gastroscope to swallow. Sometimes the doctor will need to pump some carbon dioxide into your stomach to give a clearer view of the organs.
The examination should usually take about 15 minutes. Recovery time is usually a few hours for the sedative to wear off, but you should not drive for a day afterwards. ( dailymail.co.uk )
No comments:
Post a Comment