Esophagogastroduodenoscopy
diagnostic endoscopic procedure that visualizes the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract down to the duodenum
Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) or oesophagogastroduodenoscopy (OGD), also called by various other names, is a diagnostic endoscopic procedure that visualizes the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract down to the duodenum. It is considered a minimally invasive procedure since it does not require an incision into one of the major body cavities and does not require any significant recovery after the procedure (unless sedation or anesthesia has been used). However, a sore throat is common.
Alternative names
The words esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD; American English) and oesophagogastroduodenoscopy (OGD; British English; see spelling differences) are pronounced . It is also called panendoscopy (PES) and upper GI endoscopy. It is also often called just upper endoscopy, upper GI, or even just endoscopy; because EGD is the most commonly performed type of endoscopy, the ambiguous term endoscopy is sometimes informally used to refer to EGD by default. The term gastroscopy literally focuses on the stomach alone, but in practice, the usage overlaps.
Medical uses
Diagnostic
Unexplained anemia (usually along with a colonoscopy)
Upper gastrointestinal bleeding as evidenced by hematemesis or melena
Persistent dyspepsia in patients over the age of 45 years
Heartburn and chronic acid reflux – this can lead to a precancerous lesion called Barrett's esophagus
Persistent emesis – vomiting
Dysphagia – difficulty in swallowing
Odynophagia – painful swallowing
Persistent nausea
IBD (inflammatory bowel diseases)
Surveillance
Surveillance of Barrett's esophagus
Surveillance of gastric ulcer or duodenal ulcer
Occasionally after gastric surgery
Confirmation of diagnosis/biopsy
Abnormal barium swallow or barium meal
Confirmation of celiac disease (via biopsy)
Therapeutic
Treatment (banding/sclerotherapy) of esophageal varices
Injection therapy (e.g., epinephrine in bleeding lesions)
Cutting off of larger pieces of tissue with a snare device (e.g., polyps, endoscopic mucosal resection)
Application of cautery to tissues
Removal of foreign bodies (e.g., food) that have been ingested
Tamponade of bleeding esophageal varices with a balloon
Application of photodynamic therapy for treatment of esophageal malignancies
Endoscopic drainage of pancreatic pseudocyst
Tightening the lower esophageal sphincter
Dilating or stenting of stenosis or achalasia
Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (feeding tube placement)
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) combines EGD with fluoroscopy
Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) combines EGD with 5–12 MHz ultrasound imaging
Newer interventions
Endoscopic trans-gastric laparoscopy
Placement of gastric balloons in bariatric surgery
Complications
The complication rate is about 1 in 1000. They include:
aspiration, causing aspiration pneumonia
bleeding
perforation
cardiopulmonary problems
When used in infants, the esophagogastroduodenoscope may compress the trachealis muscle, which narrows the trachea. This can result in reduced airflow to the lungs.
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Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 26, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q938957. The Library of Congress control number is sh85053494. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1000.
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