Use of endoscopy to prepare patients for surgery

Gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy is a useful tool for GI disorders; it is also important to collect information at the preoperative stage for patients who are going to have GI surgery. Endoscopy can offer therapeutic, curative, or palliative management of certain pathologies that can alter the need for the patient to undergo surgery. Endoscopic interpretation can contain a certain amount of individually variable observer subjectivity. Accordingly an appropriate standardized grading and staging terminology needs to be developed to obtain optimal results in the management of GI disorders. This section summarizes the role of endoscopy in preparing patients for surgery with particular focus on using standardized grading and staging criteria or both. Standardization of documentation affords a clearer understanding of the anatomy and pathology to better plan patient care.