Examination about acceptability of the upper gastrointestinal cancer check by transnasal endoscopy

Abstract

Transnasal endoscopy is becoming more widely used as a painless screening method for gastric cancer checkup. We gathered information through a questionnaire regarding transnasal endoscopy from 38 patients undergoing cancer checkup. The results of the questionnaire indicated that (1) there were both high expectations and concerns that there would be difficulties before the inspection.(2) There were no patients who complained that the procedure would be unbearable, although pain in the nasal cavity occurred in about 40 percent of the subjects during the examination.(3) Marked support for the procedure was gained subsequent to pain relief and mitigation of nausea and the pharyngeal reflex. Patients who selected the transnasal method as the preferred method for next year accounted for 84.2%, while only 2.6% of patients preferred the conventional transoral method.(5) Many patients (57.9%) expected a medical checkup by transnasal endoscopy only, and none of the patients expected a combination of transoral endoscopy and direct radiography. As indicated above, although further evaluation of the diagnostic ability of transnasal endoscopy is yet to be performed, we think that it is necessary to present this method to the patients, so that they understand that transnasal endoscopy as is a valid alternative examination method.