Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy: current status

Esophagogastroduodenoscopy occupies a predominant position in the diagnostic evaluation and therapeutic management of foregut disease. The safety, anatomic refinement, and tissue sampling capabilities offered by endoscopic examination support its use as a premier diagnostic tool. An increasingly diverse and ingenious set of endoscopically delivered tools are available to expand the diagnostic capability, and extend the therapeutic application of esophagogastroduodenoscopy to a wide range of pathology, both benign and neoplastic. Comparative outcome data support the utility of therapeutic esophagogastroduodenoscopy in the management of upper gastrointestinal bleeding and the palliative management of foregut neoplasia. Endoscopically delivered therapies may have an increasing role in the management of gastroesophageal reflux disease in the future, and the development of endoluminal ultrasound has added a whole new dimension to endoscopic diagnostic and, potentially, therapeutic capability. This review highlights the current status of esophagogastroduodenoscopy in the diagnosis and management of upper gastrointestinal pathology.