What is Interventional Endoscopy?

Interventional endoscopy is a minimally invasive procedure that involves the use of a thin, flexible tube (or scope) that is equipped with a camera and light at its tip. The endoscope is inserted either in the mouth or rectum and passed through the esophagus or intestines to make color images of the esophagus and intestinal tract. It also can be used to make images of surrounding organs such as the pancreas.

Interventional Endoscopy can be used to screen for, diagnose, stage, manage and treat:

  • Colon and rectal bleeding, polyps, and cancer
  • Complete and colon polyp resection, including large polyps
  • Complications from bariatric surgery
  • Diseases of the esophagus, including:
    • Achalasia
    • Barrett's esophagus
    • Dysplasia
    • Esophageal cancer

Gallbladder disease, including:

  • Gall stones
  • Chronic gallbladder inflammation (cholecystitis)
  • Gall bladder cancer

Gastric stomach diseases, including:

  • Gastric cancer 
  • Gastrointestinal bleeding
  • Gastrointestinal pain from malignancies

Pancreatic diseases, including:

  • Acute and chronic pancreatitis
  • Pancreatic cysts
  • Pancreatic cancer
  • Pancreas divisum
  • Pancreatic insufficiency
  • Pancreatic pain from malignancies
  • Interventional endoscopy also is used to prevent cancer by removing growths (polyps) before they become cancerous.

Compared with traditional open surgical techniques, interventional endoscopy is associated with:

  • Fewer complications
  • Quicker recovery
  • Lower costs

In most cases, patients having interventional endoscopy go home the day of their procedure.

Our physicians have extensive experience in interventional endoscopy and can perform a variety of endoscopic procedures, including:

  • Argon plasma coagulation hemostases of bleeding lesions
  • Biliary and pancreatic duct endoscopy (cholangioscopy and pancreatoscopy)
  • Celiac nerve block to treat pancreatic pain

  • Endoscopic management after gastric bypass surgery
  • Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) and ablation to remove and treat early tumors in the GI tract
  • Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for benign and malignant disease

  • Endoscopic therapies for Barrett’s esophagus, including radiofrequency ablation and endoscopic resection
  • Endoscopic ultrasound for staging and fine-needle aspiration
  • Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) to diagnose and stage cancers of the GI tract, bile ducts, and pancreas

  • Feeding tube (percutaneous endoscopy gastrostomy [PEG]) placement and management
  • Pancreatic pseudocyst drainage
  • Stenting of the esophagus, small bowel, and colon

Our interventional endoscopists combine technical expertise, state-of-the-art device technology, and advanced imaging to deliver outstanding, minimally invasive care. They partner with a multidisciplinary team that includes surgeons, oncologists, hepatologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists, dietitians, and behavioral therapists to ensure each patient’s needs are met.

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More patients come to Summit Health than anywhere else in the state for their endoscopic ultrasounds.

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