Question:
My surgeon did an EDG today. Is it normal for the surgeon to perform a biopsy??

When I woke up, the nurse told me that the surgeon did a biopsy during the EGD. I was still sleepy so I didnt ask any questions. Later she told me that they would have the results of the biopsy in 4 days. Now that I am home AND ALERT, I am getting nervous. Is a biopsy normal during an EGD??    — S A. (posted on May 27, 2003)

May 27, 2003
Yes, should be routine. They're just looking for trouble to make sure it isn't there. I think doing a pre-op EGD is in EXCELLENT taste & a pile of problems can be avoided if you know what you've got before you go messing with it. One of the things they check for is h. pylori. I'm not knowledgable about what else, but sounds to me as if you think THEY think you have cancer or something going down. Might be the case, of course, but checking for bacteria & such IS routine for EGD.
   — vitalady

May 27, 2003
Yes, sometimes it is normal. I have something called "Barrett's esophagus" where the stomach lining is growing into my esophagus, due to severe reflux (that I did not even know I had). Barrett's has a very high chance of developing into cancer if untreated. Fortunately, the surgery itself takes care of the major risks, because the reflux is treated by surgery. If they tell you that you have barrett's, you will have to be scoped and biopsied once a year from now on. Don't fret though... if you do have this risk, you are very fortunate to be having WLS.
   — Happy I.

May 27, 2003
Biopsies during EGDs are perfectly normal. 99% of the time they find something to biopsy. He may have found a little lesion or cyst which most of us have somewhere. Anything even slightly not perfect is biopsied just to be sure. Don't worry about it. I'm sure you will be fine.
   — lindadougherty