Can children undergo gastroscopy?

The physical health of children is the most important concern for parents, because children are the hope for the future of the entire family. However, it is normal for children to get sick in life. After all, children's bodies are not fully developed and their resistance is relatively low. Especially some viruses and bacteria are always easy to find children. Take stomach diseases for example. Children can also suffer from them. So, can children undergo gastroscopy?

Children with the following conditions should undergo gastroscopy on the advice of their doctor:

1. Recurrent abdominal pain, especially pain in the upper abdomen and around the navel.

2. X-ray barium meal examination reveals ulcers or filling defects, polyps or masses, but their nature cannot be determined.

3. Unexplained upper gastrointestinal bleeding requires emergency gastroscopy.

4. Those who have difficulty swallowing, pain in swallowing and burning sensation behind the sternum.

5. There are obvious gastrointestinal symptoms, such as frequent vomiting, anorexia, acid reflux, belching, upper abdominal distension, etc.

6. Pyloric obstruction of unknown cause.

7. Regular follow-up examination of certain upper gastrointestinal diseases and evaluation of the efficacy before and after drug treatment or after surgery.

8. There are systemic symptoms related to the stomach, such as unexplained anemia, weight loss, etc.

9. Treat some upper gastrointestinal bleeding, esophageal varices, polyps and foreign bodies, and reposition gastric torsion.

In fact, if the indications are met, children from newborns to 16 years old can undergo gastroscopy, but the type of endoscope used is different. The diameter of the children's gastroscope is less than 1 cm, which can ensure the smooth progress of the examination. Children under 6 years old cannot cooperate due to their young age, so gastroscopy can be completed under intravenous anesthesia, which is what we usually call painless gastroscopy.