Background: Hundreds of thousands of routine diagnostic upper digestive tract procedures are performed yearly worldwide either with a screening purpose or to investigate various digestive symptoms in selected groups of patients. Traditionally, digestive endoscopists used to endoscopically explore the digestive tract starting below the upper esophageal sphincter, leaving the oral cavity, hypopharynx and larynx for either oral examination or ear nose and throat (ENT) clinical and endoscopic investigations. As the imagery and technical features of digestive endoscopes progressed, nowadays oropharyngeal lesions may be diagnosed endoscopically, as well. Case series: Our study aims at presenting a small series of cases receiving routine upper digestive tract endoscopy, permitting the detection of asymptomatic oropharyngeal lesions and further proper surgical and oncological management. Discussion: Despite the up-to-date quality indicators of upper digestive tract endoscopy referring to a proper and strict examination of the digestive tract below the upper esophageal sphincter, the new trends in digestive endoscopy lay stress on the fact that the endoscopist should begin endoscopic examination with the oral cavity, uvula, glottis and glottis orifice, hypopharynx and only then to proceed with the examination of the digestive tract. In this way, digestive endoscopy procedures may help detection of incipient pre-malignant or malignant lesions, thus allowing a proper timely therapy. Conclusions: Digestive endoscopists should be trained to properly assess oropharyngeal spaces. Such endoscopic examination requires patience and good technique and skills, patient sedation being mandatory in most of the cases.
Keywords:- digestive endoscopy.
- narrow-band imaging
- ORAL SURGERY
- squamous cell carcinoma