Diagnosis of nasopharyngeal disease during upper GI endoscopy

Nasopharyngeal examination is usually not part of upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy but could be used to potentially diagnose early lesions in this area. We present preliminary results of nasopharyngeal inspection either at the start (insertion) or after (withdrawal) performance of upper GI endoscopy in 1550 patients, with a technical success rate of 97.6%. Two early-stage cancer cases were identified, and 439 patients had nasopharyngeal diseases of variable relevance. Mild complications were observed in 6.1%. This technique should be systematically evaluated for screening in high-risk areas.