Doctors can easily detect Helicobacter pylori, the bug responsible for most ulcers, with a simple breath test without resorting to endoscopy which, for many patients, is a distressing experience.
Endoscopy is the direct visualisation of the digestive tract using an endoscope, a flexible tube with a camera mounted on it that is small enough to pass into cavities in the body such as the stomach, colon, lungs and oesophagus.
Q I have just had my second saliva stone removed: one was fairly accessible; and one was less so and resulted in nerve damage to my tongue. Whenever I ask the doctors why I form these stones, they shrug their shoulders and say, ‘Nobody knows’. They...
More than 1,300 patients in a New Zealand hospital are being recalled after fears that endoscopic investigations may have left them with serious infections. ...
Endoscopy, the diagnostic test, is killing one in 2,000 patients. This alarming situation has come to light only because a special audit has been carried out to look into the longer-term effects o ...
What is carpal tunnel syndrome?
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common condition that now affects 10 per cent of the UK workforce. It is caused by compression of the median nerve, which runs through a U-shaped