Gastroenterology + Digestive Health

Your well-being is our priority at our state-of-the-art Endoscopy Unit. Our team of board-certified gastroenterologists is here to diagnose, treat and help manage a wide range of gastrointestinal and digestive conditions.
 

We understand that digestive and gastrointestinal issues can be uncomfortable to discuss and may even cause embarrassment. That's why we have designed specialized programs to help you deal with these conditions. Our services include colon cancer prevention, treatment for gastroesophageal reflux disease and addressing women's GI issues and pelvic health. Our team of gastroenterologists will provide you with the care and attention you need.

We are here to assist you in feeling better. Whether your gastrointestinal condition requires medication, changes in behavior and diet or surgery, we will work closely with you to customize a plan that best suits your needs.

• Advanced Endoscopy Program: Our team has the skills and experience to comprehend and diagnose even the most complex gastrointestinal and digestive issues. Our focus is on providing advanced endoscopic care that is tailored to your needs, ensuring that your visit is as comfortable, safe and effective as possible.
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program: We understand the pain and stress that inflammatory conditions such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease can cause. Our team is dedicated to assisting you in living the life you desire. We collaborate with expert radiologists, nutritionists, colorectal surgeons, other surgical specialists and endoscopists to determine the best treatment options for you. We are at the forefront of research and can provide you with access to the latest and most promising therapies.

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) occurs when white blood cells called eosinophils create inflammation in the esophagus. Food allergies can trigger EoE. It's important to know that a food allergy associated with EoE is quite different from food allergies you might be familiar with.

Food related diseases can trigger a variety of symptoms, like belching, gas, irregular bowel movements and difficulty swallowing. Once we’ve identified what may be triggering you, we'll work together to create a dietary plan that's filled with foods you’ll love and the nutrients you need.

Our gastroenterology nutrition clinic can assist if your condition makes it challenging to obtain nutrients. We treat a variety of gastrointestinal conditions and manage the nutritional complications associated with these disorders. When you have difficulty retaining nutrients from your food, we provide nutritional support strategies.

Esophageal motility refers to the muscle movement of your esophagus. Conditions like gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and heartburn affect how food travels from your mouth, down the esophagus and into your stomach. It's because the muscles in the esophagus don't work like they should.

To determine the cause of your symptoms, our team may recommend an esophageal motility study to check the esophagus for abnormal movements.

Inflammatory bowel disease can take a serious toll on your gastrointestinal tract from the moment food enters the body to when it leaves. The two most common inflammatory bowel diseases are Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. They’re similar in many ways, and even overlap in symptoms.

The liver is responsible for more than 500 bodily functions, like filtering, cleaning and re-circulating all blood through the body and metabolizing medications. Liver disease refers to diseases that weaken or harm the liver over time, like cirrhosis.

A paraesophageal hernia is a more uncommon type of hiatal hernia where a large part of the stomach slips through the esophageal hiatus and into the esophagus. Typically, treatment involves a minimally invasive surgery, and most people are able to return to their normal activity within a week.

There's nothing small about the small bowel (also known as the small intestine) — stretching about the length of a giraffe. Small bowel disease impacts the body's ability to absorb nutrients as food passes from the stomach, through the small intestine and to the large intestine. The most common types of small bowel disease are Crohn's disease and celiac disease.

We use a 24-hour PH impedance monitoring test to measure the amount of acid reflux or “back up” from the stomach into the esophagus. Here’s what to expect if your doctor orders a 24-hour PH impedance monitoring test:

• We’ll thread a thin, wire-sized catheter through your nose or mouth and position it at the base of your esophagus. This catheter will stay in place for 24 hours.
• You can carry on with your daily activities while the catheter monitors and tracks your meals, sleep and symptoms. 
• After 24-hours, we’ll remove the catheter and analyze the data. 

An anorectal manometry is a non-invasive test used to examine how the anal and rectal muscles function, like their:

• Ability to have a bowel movement
• Ability to squeeze and hold a volume of fluid
• Anal muscle strength
• Nerve supply to the anal muscle
• Rectal sensation

This test involves inserting a catheter about the size of a pencil approximately 6 inches into the rectum. Be sure to talk with your doctor about any medications you’re currently taking before getting an anorectal manometry.

A capsule endoscopy is a procedure we use to better understand the insides of your digestive system. The test works by swallowing a PillCam that will snap photos of your insides as it moves through your intestines. These images get transmitted to the sensor belt for your doctor to view in real time.

A colonoscopy is an endoscopic exam where a doctor inserts a flexible endoscope into the large intestine to detect any warning signs — ulcers, colon polyps, tumors and areas of inflammation or bleeding — for colon cancer and other diseases.

A colonoscopy is the most tried-and-true way for preventing colon cancer. This is because we can remove any suspicious polyps on the spot.

An ERCP helps us examine your bile and pancreatic ducts. It combines using an endoscope (a flexible instrument with a light and camera on the end) and X-rays to get a clear picture of your insides.

An esophageal motility study (EMS) is used to check the esophagus for abnormal movements. It’s a helpful test we order for people living with a combination of the following symptoms:

• Chest pain
• Coughing
• Difficulty swallowing
• Heartburn that’s not responding to acid medications 
• Hoarseness
• Sore throat
• Wheezing

You can rest assured that this is a fairly quick and very safe procedure. We kickoff the study by numbing the nose. This is to help you feel more comfortable as we pass a catheter roughly the size of a thick spaghetti strand through one nostril, down the back of the throat and into the esophagus. We’ll ask you to swallow as we thread the catheter into place.

The catheter is lined with tiny sensors that measure the squeeze of the upper esophageal sphincter (UES) and lower esophageal sphincter (LES). These sphincters are like automatic doors — they remain closed until they sense food or liquid moving toward them, then relax and open for the food and liquid to pass through the esophagus (UES) and into the stomach (LES).

To evaluate the squeeze of your UES and LES, you’ll be asked to swallow about one teaspoon of water at a time so your doctor can record and analyze the muscle movements.

A flexible sigmoidoscopy is a special exam used to evaluate the S-shaped part of the colon attached to the rectum, known as the sigmoid colon. It involves inserting a lighted tube into the rectum to then get a better look of the sigmoid colon.

While sedatives aren’t needed for this exam, you can request a sedative to make you feel more comfortable. In that case, you’ll need someone 18 years or older to get you home safely the day of your exam.

An upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy is a type of exam doctors use to evaluate 3 main parts of your upper GI tract:

• Esophagus 
• Stomach
• Duodenum (first part of the small intestine)

The endoscope has a light and camera attached to the end of it, allowing your doctor to examine your body in real time.