Brief Answer: Answer given below Detailed Answer: Hi, Thanks for posting your query. I am Dr.Ratnakar Kini and I am pleased to assist you. Through during GI endoscopy a gastroenterologist can see the throat, larynx etc, he concentrates more on the food pipe, stomach and upper small intestine. So for throat and larynx related issues, you need to consult an ENT doctor. I would also like to tell you that, cough is one of the symptoms of reflux disease. Let me know if I can assist you further. Regards, Dr.Ratnakar Kini

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Brief Answer: Answer given below Detailed Answer: Hi, Thanks for giving additional information. If it was NASAL endoscopy, then he would have concentrated over the throat and larynx also and would have informed you if something wrong was found there. Let me know if I can assist you further. Regards, Dr.Ratnakar Kini

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Brief Answer: I am sorry Detailed Answer: Hi, You have mentioned you are unhappy with the service. I am very sorry. I would like to tell you that there are few limitations with online consultation. We do not have the option of examining you and we do not have a chat mode here in this site. So we just answer the questions you ask based on the information you provide. Your first post was very brief. You asked JUST ONE question ( Though you had the option of asking any number of questions). Your question was whether the gastroenterologist would have examined your throat and larynx during endoscopy and if not whether you need to go an ENT for that. You did not ask anything about your reflux or the cause of cough either in your first post or your subsequent posts. So I gave my answer about what the gastroenterologist see during endoscopy. I have clearly mentioned that he does not concentrate of throat and larynx. I have also mentioned that he examines only foodpipe, stomach and upper intestine. Though you did not ask about the possible cause of your cough, I mentioned in my first post that cough could be a symptom of your GERD. This is not very "textbook" or "indifferent regurgitation". Gastroenterologist usually do upper endoscopy through oral route only. Only ENT doctors do nasal endoscopy. Gastroenterologist rarely do nasal endoscopy during which they get a clear view of throat and larynx. Only in your third post you have mentioned you underwent nasal endoscopy ( though you could have mentioned in the first post itself). After reading that, I gave my answer that if it was nasal endoscopy, he would examined your throat and larynx and would have told you if there was anything wrong there. So whatever questions you have asked, I have given my answer. I would like to tell you that customers are provided with option of asking any number of questions in their first post itself and there is no restriction to the length of the post. Based on what is being asked only we give our answers. We do not do this service just for money. I am not a full time employee of healthcare magic. I have a paid job in a reputed hospital and I do this service here only during my free time. And if you can go through this site, you can see we have a public forum where we answer questions for FREE. Now that I have understood that you had more questions in your mind though you asked only ONE. Based on what I presume - Endoscopy is a general term. It means examining the inside of the body with an endoscope. Endoscopes are used to look in to - 1. Food pipe, stomach and upper small intestine - We call this oesophago gastro duodenoscopy 2. Nose- Nasal endoscopy 3. Ears - Otoscopy 4. Urinary tract - Cystoscopy 5. Colon - Colonoscopy 6. Female genital tract - Colposcopy You have mentioned that the term endoscopy is confusing. Now after going through this I presume your doubt about that term is clarified. Now coming to your acid reflux issue - Heartburn is the most common symptom of GERD. But there are less common symptoms like sour belching, regurgitation, nausea, painful swallowing etc. Rarely it can cause symptoms not related to foodpipe. This includes cough, sore throat, change of voice, feeling of lump in the throat etc. That is the reason why I mentioned in my first post that your cough could be a symptom of GERD. Now coming to your cough issue - 1. If it acute cough, it could be due to infection or aspiration. Viral infection is more common and is self limiting, If it is due to bacterial infection, you may need a course of antibiotics. 2. If it is chronic, the first step to do is get a chest xray done. If it is normal, then the cough could be due to either asthma or due to GERD. Now coming to endoscopy - Endoscopy does not reveal anything abnormal in GERD unless there are complications like esophagitis (which causes painful swallowing), stricture ( which causes difficulty in swallowing). If there is laryngo pharygeal reflux, then the posterior part of vocal cords may appear reddish ( which may not be always present). 24 hours pH monitoring test can be done if you want to confirm GERD. Gastroenterologists generally do endoscopy through the oral route and concentrate on the food pipe, stomach and upper small intestine. Though throat and larynx can be seen, they do not concentrate on them unless it is required. On the other hand during nasal endoscopy, these two parts are also examined and are also better seen that oral endoscopy. Now what to do for GERD related cough - Take medications like prilosec before breakfast for 4-8 weeks. Certain lifestyle changes are also very important - - You need to redce your weight if you are obese - You need to avoid coffee, citrus, chocolates, tomatoes,alcohol, smoking - You need to avoid large meals and eat frequent smaller meals instead - You need to avoid bed time snacks and go to bed at least 2-3 hours after food. I hope all your questions are answered now. Let me know if I can assist you further. Regards, Dr.Ratnakar Kini

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