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Gastroscopy

Gastric cancer is still the most prevalent and second most fatal cancer in South Korea. Endoscopy is the most basic and practical examination using on-site biopsy to diagnose gastric disorders such as inflammatory disease, tumors, etc. Regardless of your symptoms, an annual or biannual examination is highly recommended for patients aged 40 or older. The endoscope is inserted through the mouth to observe and examine the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. If the doctor discovers any abnormalities, they may perform an additional biopsy for an accurate diagnosis.

Caution

• During the procedure, the doctor introduces air to the stomach through the endoscope to provide adequate screening. You may experience discomfort, but you need to refrain from burping to ensure a safe and accurate examination. If you burp during the procedure, the stomach will not remain bloated, and it may interfere with the screening. You may feel discomfort in the throat for about a day after the procedure. If you received a biopsy, you might have pain in the stomach for several days after the examination.

Relevant diseases

• Esophagitis, esophageal cancer, gastritis, gastric cancer, gastric adenoma, gastric bleeding, gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer, etc.

Colonoscopy and polypectomy

Colonoscopy is the most accurate diagnostic method for colon-related diseases. It allows the doctor to check on the bleeding site and lesion surfaces, and examine the tissues. Also, the doctor can perform colonoscopy and tissue biopsy simultaneously. Therefore, if you are 40 or older, you are recommended to receive a colonoscopy every five years and repeated examinations depending on the result. For adenoid polyp smaller than 1cm, we recommend you obtain a follow-up examination within three years. An annual examination is recommended for polyps larger than 1cm, or multiple polyps.

Caution

• Before a colonoscopy, you must take bowel-cleansing laxatives mixed with a large amount of water to cleanse the bowel thoroughly. In some cases, excreta such as solid feces, seeds, grains, fibers, etc. may remain in the bowel, which may interfere with the examination. In this case, your doctor may suggest to stop the procedure and repeat the study after another bowel cleansing process.
• Foods to avoid
  • 1 week before colonoscopy: Avoid foods that are difficult to digest, such as fruits with seeds, black rice, and other whole grains.
  • Three days before the procedure : Avoid vegetables with hard fibers. Grapes, watermelon, and melon can severely interfere with the procedure.

Relevant diseases

• Colon cancer, colonic polyp, inflammatory bowel disease, infectious colitis, intestinal lymphoma, large intestinal tuberculosis, colonic hemorrhage, diverticulosis, colonic vascular dysplasia, ischemic enteritis, ulcer, pigmentation, hemorrhoids, colon stricture, and etc.

CO₂ Colonoscopy(OLYMPUS UCR equipment)

During the endoscopic procedure, the air is pumped into the intestines to expand them for better visibility. Nitrogen, which makes up most of the air, is not absorbed by the intestines and may cause stomach pain before full air discharge. When CO₂ is used instead of air, the body absorbs CO₂ 150 times faster than air. It minimizes abdominal pain and bloating caused by intestinal swelling during the colonoscopy. The UCR device used by our health promotion center provides a high gas flow rate, which allows rapid injection of CO2 during colonoscopy. As a result, it helps to reduce the post-examination discomfort.

Colonoscopy under conscious sedation

• While conscious sedation allows you to receive endoscopy more comfortably; however, very rarely, there are potential risks of respiratory arrest, cardiac arrest, fatal liver damage, coma, and even death. Sometimes the drug may not affect the patients, and you may not be sedated adequately during the procedure.
• Conscious sedation endoscopy is not allowed if you have any of the following conditions
  • Difficulty with breathing for various reasons
  • Respiratory disease (asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
  • Heart disease (heart failure, bradycardia, etc.)
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding
  • Chronic liver disease (chronic hepatitis, hepatocirrhosis)
  • Severe snoring, sleep apnea
  • Overweight or aged 60 or older
  • Have soybean or egg allergy
  • Electrolyte abnormality

Computed tomography (CT)

Computed tomography (CT) provides the cross-section image of the body, unlike simple X-ray scans. It also enables more precise imaging of the lesions, and, therefore, is an essential screening method for confirming lesions and performing an in-depth examination.

Preparation for CT using contrast agent

• CT Abdominal CT, coronary artery CT
  • You must fast for a minimum 6 hours before CT.
  • Please inform our medical staff if you experienced hypersensitive reactions to contrast agents in the past.
  • If you are taking metformin-based diabetic medicine, it may affect your kidney function. Therefore, consult your doctor and stop the medication for 48 hours prior to the screening and 48 hours after the examination.
  • An iodine contrast agent is prohibited for patients with hyperthyroidism. However, if your thyroid function is maintained at a normal level with medication, etc. you may receive the screening.

Caution after the screenings

• To discharge the contrast agent, drink water frequently.
• If symptoms such as rash, vomiting, dizziness, etc. persist, contact the Health Promotion Center (258-5000)

State-of-the-art CT

CT Abdominal CT, coronary artery CT

• Cardiovascular CT
  • In the case of suspected heart disease, simple and accurate diagnosis is possible within 10 minutes using a 128-channel dual-source CT without performing a coronary angiography requiring anesthesia.
  • Related diseases : coronary artery stenosis, congenital anomaly of the coronary artery, deformity of the heart structure, aortic abnormality, etc.
• Chest and abdominal CT
  • The cutting-edge CT images that can accurately distinguish organs and structures in the chest (lung) and abdomen to a size of 0.5 mm or less help detect all chest and abdominal diseases at an early stage.
  • Related diseases :
    • Abdominal CT : liver, gallbladder, pancreas, spleen, kidney disease
    • Chest CT : lung cancer, tuberculosis, pneumonia, emphysema, esophageal cancer, etc

Magnetic Resonance Image(MRI)

• This state-of-the-art medical equipment can obtain all cross-section images of the human body in three dimensions after sending a high-frequency signal to a patient lying in a magnet. It helps to accurately diagnose and treat various disorders by accurately identifying deformations and dysfunctions of the human body structure.

Related diseases

• Brain : brain tumor, ischemic brain infarction, brain infection, brain malformation, degenerative brain disease
• Abdomen : liver mass, adrenal mass, kidney mass, uterine and ovarian disease, prostate disease
• Spine : Disc, hernia of intervertebral discs, etc.

Central nervous system

• Brain hemorrhage, cerebral infarction, brain tumor, degenerative disease, cerebrovascular disease, etc. can be diagnosed.

Musculoskeletal system

• It provides anatomical images with superior resolution and closest accuracy to the actual anatomical structures of the shoulder rotator system, cruciate ligament, collateral ligament, and meniscus of the knee joints compared to other equipment allowing the physician to make an accurate diagnosis.

Spine

• Bone deformity can be identified by simple lumbar X-rays or computed tomography (CT). However, it is not easy to observe the condition of the intervertebral discs or the pressure on the spine itself. MRI images provide more accurate information regarding the intervertebral disc's state and the degree of its compression.

Preparation before the examination

Positron-Emitting Tomography CT

PET-CT studies the body's metabolic processes by injecting a radioactive agent, a combination of substances used in the body's metabolism, such as glucose and isotopes that release positrons. Whereas CT and MRI diagnose the presence or absence of structural abnormalities in our body, PET-CT diagnoses functional and biochemical abnormalities that occur before structural abnormalities.

• Early diagnosis of cancer through whole-body scan.
• Differentiate between a benign and a malignant tumor.
• Determination of the cancer stage based on the condition of metastasis.

  * Fusion PET is helpful for early detection of cancer and, therefore, is used more widely.

Preparation for examination

• The examination uses glucose metabolism, so you must fast for 6 hours before the test. You may drink water.

  * Refrain from consuming cigarettes, coffee, chewing gum, candies, drinks with sugar substance, green tea, juice, etc.

• Stop any injection of glucose-containing substance 6 hours before the test.
• Avoid excessive exercise(e.g. hiking, golf, etc.), baths(shower allowed), acupuncture, moxibustion, massages the day before the scan. Avoid talking too much, and make sure to be well-rested.
• If you have diabetes, do not take your medication(including insulin injection) before the test but bring your medicines.

  * If your glucose level is too high or too low examination will be postponed.

• For cancellation, please contact the center no later than seven days before the scheduled date.

  * Duration of examination : Approx. 2 hours

Precaution after examination

• On the day of the examination, do not come with infants and pregnant women. Please avoid direct contact with them for 24 hours after the examination. Also, try to keep 1 ~ 2 meters distance during this time.
• If you are breastfeeding, refrain from breastfeeding for 24 hours after the examination.

  * You may breastfeed freely before the test

• If you have diabetes, do not take your medication(including insulin injection) before the test but bring your medicines.

  *If your glucose level is too high or too low examination will be postponed.

• Due to the examination method, it may expose you to a certain amount of radiation, but our staff will only use the minimum amount required.