Study of Upper Endoscopic Lesions at the Digestive Endoscopy Unit of the Gabriel Touré University Hospital

Abstract

Introduction : Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is a technique used to explore the upper digestive tract for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes, during which upper gastrointestinal lesions are frequently encountered. Objective: To study upper endoscopic lesions in the endoscopy unit of the Hepatogastroenterology Department at Gabriel Touré University Hospital. Patients and Methods: This was a prospective, cross-sectional, observational study conducted from January to June 2024 in the endoscopy unit of the Hepatogastroenterology Department at Gabriel Touré University Hospital. All patients who underwent gastrointestinal endoscopy and provided their consent were included. Results: During the study period, 673 endoscopies were performed, of which 591 were upper endoscopies, representing a frequency of 87.82%. The 45 and over age group was the largest, representing 49.9% of patients; females were the most represented sex at 52%. A significant proportion of patients resided outside Bamako (25.2%). The majority of endoscopies were performed for diagnostic purposes (99.7%). Gastric lesions predominated in 90.7% of cases, with epigastric pain (45.5%) being the main indication, followed by the search for signs of portal hypertension (19%). An endoscopic abnormality was detected in 95.4% of patients. Esophageal varices (47.5%) and peptic esophagitis (28.8%) were the most frequent esophageal lesions. Antral gastropathies (29.7%) and erythematous pangastropathies (21.2%) were the most common gastric disorders. The suspected presence of gastric tumors was 2.9%. Conclusion: This study highlights the high frequency of gastric pathologies requiring upper endoscopic examination.