Gastroenterology

Gastroenterology is a wide and specialized field of medicine concerned with the digestive system. The digestive system includes the 25-foot-long tube that processes food and nutrients, plus the liver, pancreas and gallbladder. These organs break down and absorb the food we eat so that the nutrients can be transported into the blood stream and delivered to cells throughout the body.

'Good' digestive health indicates an ability to process nutrients through properly functioning gastrointestinal organs, including the stomach, intestine, liver, pancreas and gallbladder. When these organs do not function properly, patients may need to see a gastroenterologist.

What Is a Gastroenterologist?

Doctors of gastroenterology do not perform surgery to treat diseases, but they may be board certified to perform biopsies and endoscopic examinations. Gastroenterologists use endoscopy, ultrasound, blood and bodily fluids tests, and surgery to make a diagnosis. It is often possible to treat patients during endoscopy where necessary, by using the endoscope (a long, flexible tube inserted through the mouth into various digestive regions) to insert tools for removing stones and growths, destroying cysts, inserting a stent, injecting cancer medications, or inserting a nerve block.

Illnesses Treated by Gastroenterologists

In addition to rare disorders of the digestive system, gastroenterologists diagnose or treat the following common conditions:

  • Colorectal cancer, including determining whether you have a genetic risk
  • Viral hepatitis
  • Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
  • Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
  • Diverticulitis, diverticulosis and ischemic bowel disease
  • Celiac disease and food intolerances
  • Heartburn and GERD
  • Chronic vomiting and gastroparesis
  • Functional illness, such as constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, belching and flatulence
  • Peptic ulcer disease and Helicobacter pylori
  • Acute and chronic pancreatitis
  • Gallbladder disease
  • Appendicitis
  • Nutritional deficiencies
  • Obesity
  • Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
  • Cirrhosis
  • GI infections caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi and protozoa

Tests Performed by a GI Doctor

Gastroenterologists use a number of techniques to view the organs of the digestive tract. The most common tests they perform are colonoscopy and upper-GI endoscopy.

Colonoscopy is performed to examine the large intestine for disease, most commonly colorectal cancer. Everyone age 50 and older should be screened for colorectal cancer. When performing a colonoscopy, the gastroenterologist uses a long, thin, flexible tube with a tiny video camera and a light on the end — called the colonoscope — to view the entire colon and rectum and check for polyps, inflammatory changes or cancer. If polyps are found, they often can be removed with this procedure.

Endoscopy can be helpful in the evaluation or diagnosis of various problems, including difficult or painful swallowing, pain in the stomach or abdomen, bleeding, ulcers, tumors, and problems with the gallbladder, pancreas and bile ducts. An endoscope is a long, thin, flexible tube with a tiny video camera and light on the end. By adjusting the controls on the endoscope, the gastroenterologist can safely guide the instrument to carefully examine the inside lining of the upper digestive system. In some cases, GIs can treat digestive conditions through the endoscope.

Some gastroenterologists perform newer tests to examine the GI tract, such as CT colonography where the GI doctor can inspect radiological images of the colon to check for polyps and cancers, and capsule endoscopy, during which the patient swallows a camera that records images of the GI tract.

Our physicians have years of experience treating a wide range of gastroenterology conditions. For more information or for a free physician referral to a gastroenterologist, call 561.95.LEARN (561.955.3276).