I see some doctors have their patients get an EDG and some ask for an upper GI. Can someone explain to me in laymen's terms the difference? I have to get an upper GI and was just wondering what all that entails. I've seen the terms used interchangeably and I don't think that's correct. Thanks in advance!

Edited October 28, 201312 yr by Mfs

They are different names for the same thing. You go to sleep and a tube (with a camera) is slid into the stomach for a look around. Easy Peasie, especially for the patient!

An EGD and an Upper GI are the same thing. Technically, and EGD is an Esophagogastroduodenoscopy, which is not so easy to say, so the acronym EGD is how is what it is commonly called. But and EGD is an endoscopy exam of your upper gastrointestinal track which is why it is also called an Upper GI. (A lower GI is done via colonoscopy)

Super easy process. They put a plastic peace in your mouth to protect your teeth and keep your mouth open while you're asleep. Then they put you under and when you wake up, it's all done!

Super easy process. They put a plastic peace in your mouth to protect your teeth and keep your mouth open while you're asleep. Then they put you under and when you wake up' date=' it's all done![/quote'] glad to here that it is easy I have bad gag reflexes --

I'm pretty sure they are not the same thing. An upper GI is an xray and the EGD is the tube down the throat. Both include barium. They can both show the same things, ulcrrs, hiatal hernia, etc. The upper GI, they don't put you to sleep.

Because I need to be tested for H. pylori, I need the EGD so they can take a sample. If I didn't need that, I could have the upper GI which is less invasive.

Upper GI and EGD are the exact same thing.

Here's my schedule for my pre-op testing day:

9am - upper GI (light supper the night before and nothing by mouth after midnight - which tells me there may be sedation involved) @ main hospital

11am - pre-op class with nurse & dietician @ clinic

After the class - "pre-admission testing, paperwork, labs, and EKG." @ hospital I'm having the surgery at

I'll be hitting the doc's office this Thursday so I'll ask them for clarification. Trying to figure out if I need to have hubby drive me or if I'll be ok to drive after the upper GI

Just because terms are used interchangeably, doesn't mean they are indeed the same. I think maybe a clarification is an Upper GI "Series" vs Upper GI endoscopy. My doctor said I could have either an EGD OR an Upper GI series, which means there are 2.

One is an xray with barium without being put under and one is a camera down the throat with barium and you are put under.

Some info off the internet searching EGD vs upper GI series

• 
  Some alternatives to EGD include:
  
  • Physical exam
    
  • X-rays
    
  • Upper GI series
    
  • A CT scan.
    

  [*]

  Upper GI Series

  An upper GI series involves swallowing barium as x-rays are being taken. Barium, which is a harmless liquid, coats the inside of the esophagus, stomach, and small intestine so that their shapes show up on an x-ray. It is sometimes used as the first diagnostic tool for studying the upper digestive tract. It is not as reliable as endoscopy in diagnosing inflammatory lesions such as esophagitis, gastritis, or small ulcers.

• <p>
  
  Esophagogastroduodenoscopy;
  Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) is a test to examine the lining of the esophagus (the tube that connects your throat to your stomach), stomach, and first part of the small intestine. It is done with a small camera (flexible endoscope) that is inserted down the throat.
  
  • An upper GI series uses x rays to help diagnose problems of the upper GI tract, which includes the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. The duodenum is the first part of the small intestine.
    

When the patient needs to undertake an upper GI, he or she is asked to take a fast on the previous day, depending on what the doctor wishes the patient to take or what might be needed for this testing. Normally, the patient must avoid solid food for up to eight hours prior to the appointment and avoid any type of consumable, including Water, three hours prior to the testing.

Process[edit]

This is a non-invasive test, consisting of an X-ray. In the X-ray room, the patient is given two medications to drink that help improve the quality of the resulting X-rays. The patient may also be administered glucagon, a pancreatic hormone that is injected intravenously. The first drink is very carbonated, made from baking-soda crystals which expands the stomach by causing gas to build in the stomach. The second drink is a contrast agent, typically a thick, chalky liquid containing a barium salt. (This test is sometimes called a barium swallow.) The barium outlines the stomach on the X-rays, helping the doctor find tumors or other abnormal areas.

The patient then has X-rays taken.

Nope, not the same thing as stated above. I had both done. I don't understand why they would need both though.

Often an EGD is called an upper GI. Often a colonoscopy is called a lower GI. An upper GI study (or series) is usually the term for the contrast/gastrograffin swallow/X-ray procedure. I do anesthesia for lots of endoscopic procedures and, yes, upper GI and EGD are frequently used interchangeably referring to the same procedure. (Although EGD would be the more accurate term.)