The cardiopulmonary complications associated with gastroscopy could be reduced by giving little or no prior sedation. The ability to tolerate the procedure with and without sedation was compared in 62 elderly patients by recording responses to a questionnaire designed to evaluate the patient's own assessment of the examination. A similar percentage of sedated and unsedated patients described the procedure as mildly unpleasant (63% vs 57%; chi 2 = 0.500; p > 0.10). The majority (73%) of unsedated patients did not want to be sedated for future examinations because of the inconvenience of the recovery period. Elderly patients should therefore be given the choice of undergoing the procedure without sedation. Full counselling and explanation of the procedure are however even more important to allay anxiety and apprehension if the procedure is undertaken without sedation.