The J-shaped stomach secretes a potent acid and churns food into small particles. The food then enters the duodenum, or small bowel, where bile from the liver and digestive juices from the pancreas mix with it to help the digestive process. The flexible endoscope is a remarkable piece of equipment that can be directed and moved around the many bends in the gastrointestinal tract.
Endoscopes now come in two types.
The original pure fiberoptic instrument has a flexible bundle of glass fibers that collect the lighted image at one end and transfer the image to the eye piece. The newer video endoscopes have a tiny, optically sensitive computer chip at the end. Electronic signals are then transmitted up the scope to the computer which then displays the image on a large video screen. An open channel in these scopes allows other instruments to be passed through in order to take tissue samples, remove polyps and perform other exams. Due to factors related to diet, environment and heredity, the upper GI tract is the site of numerous disorders.