The physicians and staff of the esophageal testing laboratory perform several procedures that assist in the diagnosis of patients with esophageal disorders. These procedures include:

Upper Endoscopy

Upper endoscopy allows physicians to check for esophageal disease such as strictures, inflammation and cancer. A lighted flexible scope is placed down the esophagus to view the lining of the esophagus and stomach. Patients are fully sedated during the procedure.

PillCam-ESO

Creighton University Medical Center was the first institution in Omaha to offer PillCam ESO, a camera-in-a-pill that allows doctors to evaluate and diagnose diseases of the esophagus – including gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and Barrett's esophagus, a pre-cancerous condition.

The PillCam ESO is a smooth plastic capsule with two tiny cameras, one at each end, capable of taking approximately 2,600 pictures (14 per second) of the esophagus. Images are transmitted from the PillCam ESO to a recording device. In less than 20 minutes, physicians have enough images to determine a diagnosis.

PillCam ESO is an alternative to traditional endoscopy, the most common procedure for examining the esophagus. Rather than advancing a long scope (endoscope) into the mouth and down the throat to the esophagus, many patients now only swallow a pill in the doctor's office. The pill is the size of a large vitamin.

Learn More:

• Gastroenterology
• Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
• Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Diagnosis
• Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Treatment
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Crohn's Disease
• PillCam-ESO
• Meet the Team