Risks and benefits
It is important to discuss all the possible outcomes of this procedure with your healthcare provider in order to have realistic expectations of the results. In some cases, depending on your condition, surgery may not always result in complete and full recovery. See Alternative Treatments below for treatment options that can be just as effective as surgery, that are less invasive and may offer benefits like shorter recovery time, shorter time away from work, and fewer to no post-surgery follow-up visits.
Serious risks with an endoscopy are rare. However, excessive bleeding is always a possibility and rarely a tear in the esophagus or stomach wall can occur.
Other risks associated with upper endoscopy include:
- Abnormal reaction to sedatives
- Bleeding from biopsy
- Accidental puncture of the upper GI tract
You might experience some of the following rare symptoms after upper endoscopy. If you do, you should contact your doctor immediately:
- Swallowing difficulties
- Throat, chest and abdominal pain that worsens
- Vomiting
- Bloody or very dark stool
- Fever
Resources
Please visit these resources for more information:
Upper Endoscopy, 2012, Mayo Clinic.
Digestive Problems and Upper Endoscopy, 2010, WebMD.
Upper GI Endoscopy. NIH Publication No. 09–4333, May 2009, National Digestive Disease Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC).
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