Endoscope and its use in diagnosis and treatment of Crohn’s disease

Running head: BIOLOGY
Biology
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1BIOLOGY
Part A
An endoscope is an optical illuminated, usually slender and tubular instrument, similar to
a telescope that is used for carrying out investigations of different body organs. The highly
flexible technology that is capable of entering the human body is made up of three primary
optical cables wherein each has around 50,000 optical fibers made up of high quality plastic or
glass. Two cables carry the source of illumination down into the body of the patient while
another one is responsible for carrying reflected light back to the eye piece of the physician. At
the distal end is the objective lens that links bendy sections of optic-fiber cable carrying the light
from the patient’s body to the second lens, placed in the eyepiece, which is to be swiveled for
adjusting the focus (Federle and Raman 2015).
Figure: Endoscope
Source: st-andrews.ac.uk (2018)
Endoscope is used for Crohn’s disease since there are no simple laboratory tests that can
allow a definitive diagnosis of the condition. The same is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
that is responsible for causing inflammation of the digestive tract leading to symptoms of

2BIOLOGY
abdominal pain, diarrhea, fatigue, and weight loss. A combination of tests is useful for
diagnosing the condition such as tests for infection or anemia, and fecal occult blood test.
Technological procedures include colonoscopy, endoscopy and computerized tomography. There
is no particular treatment for Crohn’s disease and different treatment would work for different
patients. The common form of pharmacological and non pharmacological treatment includes
anti-inflammatory drugs such as corticosteroids, immune system suppressors such as
Azathioprine, antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin, nutrition therapy and surgery (Hall 2015).
Endoscope process is an integral part of care for patients with inflammatory bowel
disease (IBD) and forms as essential tool for diagnosis and treatment of both Crohn’s disease and
ulcerative colitis. The initial diagnosis is easier, and differentiation can be done between the two
diseases after which the disease can be assessed and responses to therapy can be monitored.
Fistula and stricture are two of the common complications of Crohn’s disease. Endoscopic
dilation and needle-knife procedures have been noted as a valid treatment option for the
condition (De Cruz et al., 2015).
Figure: Endoscopy of stomach
Source: sundaytimes.lk (2018)