| A | B |
|---|
| biopsy (Bx) | removal and microscopic study of tissue |
| incisional Bx | removal of a portion of a lesion for pathological examination |
| excisional Bx | removal of an entire llesion for pathological examination |
| endoscopy | examination with a body cavity with a flexible endoscope for diagnosis or treatment; used in the gastrointestinal tract to detect abnormalities and perform procedures such as biopsy, excision of lesions, dilations of narrowed areas, removal of swallowed objects, etc. |
| esophagoscopy | examination of the esophagus with an esophagoscope |
| gastroscopy | examination of the stomach with a gastroscope |
| upper gastrointestinal endoscopy | examination of the lining of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum with a flexible endoscope; also known as esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) |
| endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) | endoscopic procedure including x-ray fluoroscopy to examine the ducts of the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas (biliary ducts) |
| laparoscopy | examination of the abdominal cavity with a laparoscope--often including interventional surgical procedures |
| peritoneoscopy | examination of the peritoneal cavity with a peritoneoscope; often performed to examine the liver and obtain a biopsy specimen |
| colonoscopy | examination of the colon using a flexible colonoscope |
| sigmoidoscopy | examination of the sigmoid colon with a rigid or flexible sigmoidoscope |
| proctoscopy | examination of the rectum and anus with a proctoscope |
| magnetic resonance imaging | nonionizing imaging technique for visualizing the abdominal cavity to identify disease or deformity in the gastrointestinal tract |
| radiography | x-ray imaging used to detect a condition or anomaly within the gastrointestinal tract |
| upper GI series | x-ray of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum after the pateint has swallowed a contrast medium (barium is most commonly used) |
| barium swallow | x-ray of the esophagus only; often used to locate swallowed objects |
| fluoroscopy | x-ray using a fluorescent screen to visualize structures in motion (such as during a barium swallow) |
| lower GI series barium enema | x-ray of the colon after administration of an enema containing a contrast medium |
| computed tomography (CT) of abdomen | cross-sectional x-ray of the abdomen used to identify a condition or anomaly within the gastrointestinal tract |
| cholangiogram | x-ray of the bile ducts; often performed during surgery |
| cholecystogram | x-ray of the gallbladder taken after oral ingestion of iodine |
| sonography | ultrasound imaging |
| abdominal sonogram | ultrasound image of the abdomen to detect disease or deformity in organs and vascular structures |
| endoscopic sonography | an endoscopic procedure using a sonographic transducer within an endoscope to examine a body cavity and make sonographic images of structures and tissues |
| stool culture and sensitivity | isolation of a stool specimen in a culture medium to identify disease-causing organisms; if present; the drugs to which they are sensitive are listed |
| stool occult blood study | a chemical test of a stool specimen to detect the presence of blood; positive findings indicate bleeding in the GI tract |
