Do I need to fast for an esophageal examination?

Because esophageal diseases can affect a person's normal ability to eat, and even severe esophageal diseases can threaten a person's life, so if any abnormal reaction is found in the esophagus, you should go to the hospital in time for relevant esophageal examinations. Many tests require fasting before testing to improve the accuracy of the test results. So when doing an esophageal examination, many patients will consider whether they need to fast.

Do I need to fast for esophageal examination?

You need to fast when examining your esophagus, especially when doing a barium meal or gastroscopy. In addition, when doing the examination, do not eat spicy food before the examination. For gastroscopy or esophageal examination, you must be on an empty stomach for more than 8 hours. The examination is usually performed in the morning, so it is recommended not to eat after 8 o'clock the night before to avoid nausea and danger during the examination.

It is necessary to fast for esophageal examination. Common methods for esophageal examination include gastroscopy, esophageal HP test, esophageal X-ray, barium meal and esophageal manometry. These examinations need to be performed on an empty stomach. Eating will affect the function of the esophagus and stomach, thereby affecting the examination results. Therefore, gastrointestinal examinations must be performed on an empty stomach, which means no food or water should be consumed within 6 to 8 hours before the examination. In addition, some CT or ultrasound examinations are needed, and you need to be on an empty stomach.

How to Check for Esophageal Disease

1. Gastroscopy

Gastroscopy is a very commonly used method for examining esophageal diseases. It can clearly see the condition inside the esophagus and can directly observe subtle lesions. It can also conveniently remove the lesion tissue in the esophagus for further pathological examination to determine what type of esophageal disease it is. Gastroscopy examinations of esophageal diseases, especially esophageal cancer, rarely miss diagnosis. If the endoscopic photos are clear, then no matter which hospital the examination is done in, and the examination report says there is no lesion, then generally there is nothing to worry about.

2. Fluoroscopic examination

Esophageal barium meal fluoroscopy is also an important means of examining esophageal diseases. You cannot eat anything within 12 hours before the examination and must be done on an empty stomach. During the examination, the patient should relax and follow the doctor's instructions. Generally, a routine chest and abdominal X-ray will be done first, and then the patient will take a barium meal as required by the doctor. The doctor will then use X-ray methods to observe the condition of the esophagus. Diseases such as esophageal ulcer, esophagitis, esophageal tumor, congenital mutations, etc. can be detected through esophageal barium meal.

How to check for esophageal diseases? Above we have introduced two methods for checking for esophageal diseases, namely gastroscopy and esophageal barium meal fluoroscopy. These two methods are currently the most accurate and effective methods for examining diseases in the esophagus. For some patients, esophageal lesions may not be diagnosed using one method. Doctors usually recommend another method to ensure the accuracy of the examination.