Endoscopy & Digestive Health Investigations

An endoscopy is a way of looking inside your digestive tract directly, using a thin flexible tube with a small camera on the end. Rather than working from test results alone, the doctor can see the lining and take a tiny tissue sample if needed.

Endoscopy is now widely available in Indonesia, with services reported in more than 313 hospitals. Here is what the common digestive tests look for and what to expect if your doctor recommends one.

Symptoms That Often Lead to a Digestive Investigation

Most stomach upsets settle on their own. Doctors pay closer attention when symptoms persist or come with what are called alarm symptoms:

• Losing weight without trying
• Vomiting blood, or passing black, tar-like stools (this needs emergency care, not an appointment)
• Difficulty or pain when swallowing
• Anemia with no clear explanation
• A new change in bowel habit that does not settle
• Abdominal pain, heartburn, or reflux that keeps returning

Most of these are reasons to book a consultation. One is not.

Vomiting blood or passing black, tar-like stools can mean active bleeding in the digestive tract, which needs emergency care the same day. Go to the nearest emergency department, or call 150 919 in Indonesia, or ( 62) 21 3002 0031 from overseas.

Common Digestive Tests and What They Look For

Endoscopy is one option among several. A workup usually starts with your history, an examination, and blood or stool tests, and moves to a camera only when the findings call for it.

What is being checked, and the usual test:

1. Reflux, ulcers, upper stomach symptoms: Gastroscopy, a camera through the mouth
2. Bowel symptoms, bleeding, polyps, cancer screening: Colonoscopy or rectosigmoidoscopy
3. Bleeding in the small bowel, or anemia with no clear cause: Capsule endoscopy, a camera you swallow
4. H. pylori, a stomach bacteria linked to ulcers: Stool antigen test or urea breath test
5. Inflammatory bowel disease: Colonoscopy, plus fecal calprotectin, blood and stool tests
6. Pancreas or bile duct problems: Endoscopic ultrasound, MRCP, or CT
7. IBS and GERD: Symptom questionnaires such as Rome IV and GERD-Q, with selected tests

What Happens During an Endoscopy

The procedure itself is shorter than most people expect, often 15 to 30 minutes. You are given sedation or a throat spray so you stay comfortable.

The doctor passes the flexible tube through the mouth for an upper endoscopy, or through the rectum for a colonoscopy, and watches the lining on a screen. Anything unusual can be photographed, sampled, or treated in the same session.

Small polyps, for example, are often removed on the spot. Afterward you rest while the sedation wears off.

Most people go home the same day.

How to Prepare

Your care team will give you instructions specific to your procedure. In general:

• Fast beforehand, usually for several hours, so the view is clear
• Tell your doctor about every medication you take, especially blood thinners and diabetes medication
• For a colonoscopy, follow the bowel preparation exactly, since the quality of the examination depends on it
• Arrange for someone to take you home if you are having sedation

Bring a list of your symptoms, when they started, and any previous test results. It helps the doctor decide what to check.

Talk Through Your Symptoms First

You do not need to decide on a test yourself. The first step is a consultation, where a gastroenterology-hepatology specialist hears your symptoms and recommends only the tests that will answer the question.

At Bali International Hospital, our Gastroenterology Center works alongside the Diagnostic Center and on-site laboratory, so consultation, testing, and results stay in one place. Book a clinic appointment to discuss your digestive symptoms, or contact us on WhatsApp at 62 812 1166 1127.

You can also call 1500 238 in Indonesia, or 62 21 3113 1923 from overseas.

Frequently Asked Questions

When might a doctor recommend an endoscopy?

When symptoms persist or come with alarm signs such as unexplained weight loss, vomiting blood, black stools, trouble swallowing, unexplained anemia, or a lasting change in bowel habit. It is also used for colorectal cancer screening and to follow up an abnormal result from an earlier test.

What digestive problems can an endoscopy find?

Ulcers, inflammation, reflux damage, polyps, bleeding points, celiac and inflammatory bowel disease, and early cancers of the esophagus, stomach, and bowel. Because the doctor can take a biopsy during the procedure, many conditions are confirmed from the same appointment.

What happens during an endoscopy?

You receive sedation or a throat spray, then a thin flexible camera is passed through the mouth or the rectum while the doctor examines the lining on a screen. It usually takes 15 to 30 minutes.

Samples can be taken and small polyps removed at the same time.

How should I prepare for an endoscopy?

Fast as instructed, tell your doctor about your medications, particularly blood thinners and diabetes medication, and follow the bowel preparation closely if you are having a colonoscopy. Arrange someone to take you home if you are being sedated.