If you’ve ever suffered heartburn or acid reflux, or had trouble swallowing, chances are your doctor has ordered an endoscopy. It’s a non-surgical procedure used to examine a person’s digestive tract. It involves using an endoscope, a flexible tube with a light and camera attached to it, that’s easily passed through the mouth and throat and into the esophagus, allowing the doctor to view the esophagus, stomach, and upper part of the small intestine on a TV monitor.

            Doctors at The University of Kansas Health System have a new tool in diagnosing and treating these and other gastrointestinal disorders. It’s called the EndoFLIP (endoluminal functional lumen imaging probe,) a minimally-invasive device used with the endoscope. While the endoscope is inserted, fluid is passed through a catheter to inflate a cylinder-shaped balloon that contains specialized sensors that measure the area across the inside of the esophagus and the pressure inside that organ. The patient doesn’t feel anything, but the information doctors can now get from using the EndoFLIP can provide much earlier detection of major motility disorders.

            In the video, Dr. Reza Hejazi, a gastroenterologist at The University of Kansas Health System, describes EndoFLIP and how it’s works. He also talks about how it benefits patients and who is a candidate for this new technology.

            The video also shows Dr. Hejazi using the EndoFLIP in an actual procedure.