We asked Ian Beckingham of the Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, what he would want to know if he needed a gastroscopy.
What are my treatment options?
In the past, bleeding peptic ulcers were treated with major abdominal surgery (when your stomach is opened up).
However, today, gastroscopy is the procedure of choice and major abdominal surgery is only used when gastroscopy fails to stop the bleeding, which occurs in around 10-20 per cent of patients.
What is the relative success of these operations?
Therapeutic endoscopy will stop bleeding in around 90% of ulcers, although sometimes it will need more than one session.
Will I need a blood transfusion?
If your bleeding has been severe, acute or you have become very anaemic, you may need a transfusion.
Will I need an anaesthetic?
Most patients can have a therapeutic endoscopy under sedation, but it may be necessary to have a general anaesthetic if there's a significant danger of breathing blood or other substances into the lungs.
