Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy: its effects on patient management.

Out of 95 patients referred for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy after a barium-meal examination, 44 underwent a change in management. Some changes were minor but in 12 patients a decision on surgery was required. Seven of these patients were among a group of 13 for whom the referring consultant would have recommended laparotomy had endoscopy not been available, while the other five were subjected to an unplanned laparotomy. These findings support the practice of performing endoscopy on patients whose symptoms are not fully explained by barium-meal examination, especially patients aged over 45. In such cases the procedure also seems to be cost-effective.