What will the results tell me?

Some results will be available immediately following the procedure and the doctor will share them with you after the sedative has worn off.  Biopsies that require laboratory testing will take more time. 

Are there other kinds of endoscopy?

Yes, there are.  An endoscopic ultrasound uses the same type of procedure as an endoscopy but the endoscope used is fitted with a small ultrasound device on the end.  This allows a clear view of the inside layers of the wall of the gastrointestinal tract and the surrounding organs including the pancreas, liver, gallbladder, spleen and adrenal glands.

And now to get really sci-fi: When a clear image of the midsection of the small intestine – duodenum, jejunum, ileum – is needed, a wireless capsule endoscopy is used.  The wireless capsule endoscopy uses a pill-sized video camera with its own light source that is swallowed by the patient.  As the capsule travels through the digestive tract, it takes pictures of the small intestines that are transmitted to a recording device the patient wears on his or her body.   The doctor is able to view the pictures at a later time and the capsule itself passes through the large intestine and out of the body as waste. 

Works cited:

National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes, and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. (May 2009).  Upper GI Endoscopy. Retrieved from website: http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/upperendoscopy/

American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, (November, 2010), Endoscopic Procedures. Retrieved from website: http://www.asge.org/press/press.aspx?id=548#endoscopy