Digestive endoscopy and liver, biliary and pancreatic surgery in Xi’an, China

Who this page is for

• Digestive symptoms to be checked by gastroscopy or colonoscopy, or polyps to be removed
• Bile duct or pancreatic duct problems, such as gallstones stuck in the bile duct
• A liver, pancreatic, stomach or bowel condition, including cancer, for which surgery is being discussed

What assessment and treatment usually involve

General medical information in plain language, summarised from the public health sources listed at the end of this page. It is not advice about your case: the hospital’s doctors decide what applies to you.

A gastroscopy checks inside the food pipe and stomach and can help find the cause of digestive symptoms and check for some types of cancer. You stop eating at least 6 hours before; a throat spray or sedation is used, and the test takes 15 to 45 minutes.¹

A colonoscopy checks inside the bowel with a thin tube and camera. You follow diet instructions and take laxatives beforehand; it takes 30 to 45 minutes, and any polyps found are removed or a sample of cells taken.²

ERCP is used to treat problems of the bile and pancreatic ducts, such as gallstones stuck in the common bile duct: a thin tube is passed through the endoscope and dye is injected into the ducts.³

For liver cancer, surgery to remove the part of the liver where the cancer is (partial hepatectomy) may be done; other options include liver transplant and ablation, which destroys tissue. Treatment options are set out according to the stage of the cancer.⁴

What YituCare coordinates at each step

1. Free enquiry Tell us what you need on the form or on WhatsApp. Our first reply, within 24 hours, tells you the city, the type of hospital and the department that fit your request.
2. Case review & hospital match A coordinator organises your records, translates a summary and asks 1–2 departments at hospitals we work with whether they can accept your case. The written reply comes within 3–5 working days of receiving your complete records, names the hospital and includes the hospital’s estimate.
3. Appointments and dates We request the consultation, tests or admission with the hospital and keep you informed; the hospital confirms the appointment.
4. In China Airport pickup, hotel arrival and hospital transfers, and, if you book it, a bilingual companion on hospital days.
5. After treatment We collect your discharge documents, arrange translations you need and pass follow-up questions between you and the hospital team after you return home.

For endoscopy with sedation we arrange for someone to accompany you home and stay with you, as the hospital will require.

Records to prepare

• A short summary of your condition and treatment so far, or a recent letter from your doctor
• Recent test results and reports, with dates
• A list of the medicines you take now, and any allergies
• Endoscopy and colonoscopy reports, with photos and pathology results if available
• CT, MRI or ultrasound reports and images of the abdomen
• Recent blood tests, including liver tests

Do not send full records with a first enquiry. After you order a service we send you an order code for the upload page, or you can send them on WhatsApp.

Length of stay to plan for

General guidance from the sources below, not a promise for your case. The hospital’s team sets the actual dates after reviewing your records; we ask for them when we request the estimate.

• For a gastroscopy you may be at the hospital for around 4 hours in total; for a colonoscopy about 2 hours. After an ERCP, expect to stay 2 to 6 hours.^{1, 2, 3}
• After sedation you cannot drive for 24 hours, and someone needs to take you home and stay with you.^{1, 2}

YituCare coordinates; it does not diagnose or prescribe. The hospital’s doctors make all clinical decisions and confirm appointments, and medical fees are paid directly to the hospital.

Questions about this treatment