Although humans and animals are different in many ways, some advances in human medicine are also very useful in veterinary patients. One of these advances, endoscopy, has proven to be a powerful diagnostic and therapeutic tool in veterinary medicine. As a practice, we consider it a goal to offer state-of-the-art medicine and diagnostic testing; so we are proud to offer endoscopy as a means of providing a higher level of quality care to our patients.
A fiberoptic endoscope is a long, narrow tube with a tiny camera at the tip. An endoscope can be rigid or very flexible, depending on what procedure it is used for. It can also be sterilized so that it can safely be inserted into the body. Endoscopic equipment can have many uses in veterinary medicine. For example, with a patient under anesthesia, an endoscope can be inserted into the mouth (to examine the esophagus, stomach, and upper intestine), nose (to examine the trachea [windpipe] and main airways), or anus (to examine the colon and lower intestine). An endoscope can be inserted through a small incision into a body cavity to permit us to examine the surface of organs, such as the liver or kidneys, or to look inside a joint, such as the knee. We can even use an endoscope to remove small objects that dogs and cats sometimes swallow or to perform biopsies of internal organs.
Endoscopy provides us with a full-color, magnified view of the area of interest. Additionally, endoscopic procedures are usually non-invasive or minimally invasive. We strive to offer our patients the highest level of medicine, and we are glad to be able to offer endoscopy as one of our diagnostic procedures.
