Endoscopy
At Kindness Animal Hospital we
have tremendous equipment and training in the exciting modality of endoscopy.
But what is endoscopy, and why is it so revolutionary?
In a nutshell, endoscopy is the ability to look inside the body, using a variety
of very small cameras and either flexible or rigid glass tubes. This allows the
doctor to actually see within a body cavity, or within a given organ, and
directly visualize what is causing a problem, and very often to take biopsy
samples or to fix the problem surgically at the same time. This has the
advantage to the patient of being relatively non-invasive, and of allowing very
rapid and very accurate diagnosis of most diseases. All endoscopic procedures
are performed under general anesthesia, but this is often much shorter than
would be needed for a surgical procedure. The specific types of endoscopy
available are discussed below:
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Gastrointestinal
Endoscopy:
Gastrointestinal means stomach and
intestines, and thus this is the endoscopic exploration of the organs that
make up the digestive tract. The instrument used for this examination is a
very flexible tube filled with tiny fiber optic wires. A video camera is
attached to the end of the scope so that the entire procedure can be seen on
a television monitor. Animals have very long intestines, and the scopes used
for these procedures are 5-7 feet in length. Using control knobs, the scope
can be driven and directed exactly where in the body it will go. To the
doctor, the visual effect of GI endoscopy is much like walking through a
long pink cave. Different instruments can be passed through the scope to
allow for biopsy of masses, removal of foreign objects, etc. Using GI
endoscopy it is possible to remove fish hooks from the stomach and bones
from the intestines without surgery, to biopsy cancer, and to diagnose
inflammatory bowel disease, stomach ulcers, colon polyps, etc.
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Cystoscopy:
Cystoscopy is the exploration of the
urinary bladder and its appendages using an endoscope. This is a
revolutionary way of diagnosing many lower urinary problems such as bladder
stones, inflammatory conditions, bladder cancer, etc. Prior to the
availability of cystoscopy, doctors were left with options such as surgery
(not always desirable), X-rays (seldom diagnostic), and ultrasound
(diagnostic, but not nearly as accurate or as precise as cystoscopy).
Cystoscopy is also the only way to accurately stage bladder cancer and to
decide on the exact location of surgery.
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Lararoscopy/Thoracoscopy:
These terms are used for the
examination of the abdominal cavity (laparoscopy) or the chest cavity
(thoracoscopy) using a small, rigid endoscope. This can be used for
diagnostic purposes, or for actual surgery (termed minimally invasive
surgery). These two procedures have truly revolutionized surgery in the
veterinary field, and allow for procedures such as lung biopsy, which
previously involved a very involved and complicated surgery. These
procedures have become standard for many surgical procedures in humans, such
as hysterectomy, gall bladder removal, internal organ biopsy, etc., and have
greatly reduced the surgical recovery of the patient.
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Arthroscopy:
Arthroscopy is the examination or
surgery of the joints. One of the biggest problems with joint surgery in
animals is the inevitable arthritis that develops after the surgery. By
performing surgical procedures through a very tiny arthroscope it is
possible to greatly speed the recovery of the patient while simultaneously
avoid the arthritis development. Arthroscopy also has the advantage of
allowing diagnosis of diseases such as fractured medial coronoid process
(elbow joint) which previously required opening the joint, just for
diagnosis. If it was your knee (or elbow, or hip, or ankle) in question,
which procedure would you rather have them perform?
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Bronchoscopy:
Bronchoscopy is the use of an endoscope to examine the throat and large
airways inside the lungs. The scope used for this procedure is a long,
flexible one, similar to that used for GI endoscopy, but much smaller in
diameter so as to allow better penetration through the small passageways of
the lungs. Bronchoscopy is the best way to diagnose and culture infections
of the lungs, and is very useful for many types of cancer in the lungs,
inflammatory processes, to remove foreign objects that have been inhaled
into the lung tissue, etc. |