Endoscopic Biopsy

Endoscopic Biopsy

This type of biopsy is performed through a fiberoptic endoscope (a long, thin tube that has a close focusing telescope on the end for viewing) through a natural body orifice (i.e., rectum) or a small incision (i.e., arthroscopy). The endoscope is used to view the organ in question for abnormal or suspicious areas, in order to obtain a small amount of tissue for study. Endoscopic procedures are named for the organ or body area to be visualized and/or treated. The physician can insert the endoscope into the gastrointestinal tract (alimentary tract endoscopy), bladder (cystoscopy), abdominal cavity (laparoscopy), joint cavity (arthroscopy), mid-portion of the chest (mediastinoscopy), or trachea and bronchial system (laryngoscopy and bronchoscopy).