Diagnostic value of gastrointestinal endoscopy in patients with uncharacteristic abdominal disorders

Endoscopic examinations were performed in 50 patients admitted for uncharacteristic abdominal disorders. Despite previous hospitalizations for the same complaints, no certain diagnosis had been established. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and colonoscopy were performed systematically, whereas gastroscopy was performed only on special indications. Of the 18 patients in whom a primary organic disease was diagnosed, duodenoscopy was of importance in 1 (duodenal cancer), colonoscopy in 3, and gastroscopy in 8 patients. In addition, colonoscopy verified the psychosomatic diagnosis in a patient with melanosis. In the rest of the material cannulation of the pancreatic duct (n = 36) or bile duct (n = 33), colonoscopy (n = 42), or gastroscopy (n = 21) did not show signs relevant to the patients' symptoms. Several of these signs, such as polyps or gallstones, together with the importance of negative examinations in the diagnosis of many patients, add to the value of endoscopic procedures in patients with uncharacteristic abdominal disturbances.