GASTROENTEROLOGY- FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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Frequently Asked Questions
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A gastroenterologist specializes in disorders of the Esophagus, stomach, small bowel and large intestines, rectum, liver, pancreas, and gallbladder. Services include both medical management and endoscopic procedures for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.
Endoscopy employs the use of a long, thin video camera which has channels along its length to accommodate devices such as biopsy forceps, loop snares, injector needles, and cautery equipment. Usually inserted under intravenous sedation into the mouth or rectum, endoscopy can be used to diagnose and treat disorders of the esophagus, stomach, small bowel, colon, rectum, bile ducts, and pancreatic ducts. Types of endoscopy include EGD (esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy), Colonoscopy, Small bowel enteroscopy, ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio Pancreatography)., and Endoscopic Ultrasound.
Functional esophageal testing including Manometry, FLIP (Functional Luminal Impedance Planemitry), Wireless pH testing, and impedance studies.
Small bowel video capsule evaluation
Percutaneous feeding tube placement
Endoscopic surgery including POEM for Achalasia and gastroparesis, ESD (Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection),
At some point everyone needs to visit the gastroenterologist for colon cancer screening (see question on when to get colon cancer screening). If you suffer from any of the following symptoms you should consider a consultation with a Gastroenterologist: Difficulty swallowing or food getting stuck as it goes down the esophagus (food pipe), Heartburn or chest discomfort behind or just below the breast bone, feeling of food coming back up after eating, waking from sleep with acid in the throat, choking, wheezing, or gagging, abdominal (belly) pain, nausea, vomiting, gas, bloating, excessive flatulence or belching, constipation, diarrhea, visible blood in the stool, rectal pain or itching, weight loss or weight gain, skin or eyes turning yellow, vomiting of blood or black stools. Your Primary doctor may refer you to rule out a specific disease (see question on what diseases a gastroenterologist treats) or because of an abnormal blood test or imaging (Cat scan, Ultrasound, Etc.)
General symptoms of the digestive system: Heartburn, regurgitation, excessive belching, difficulty swallowing, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, bloating, flatulence, constipation, diarrhea, rectal and other gastrointestinal bleeding, jaundice, and food allergies and intolerance.
Esophageal Diseases: GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease), Barrett's esophagus, esophageal motility disorders such as Achalasia, nutcracker esophagus, and esophageal spasm. Eosinophilic Esophagitis, esophageal ulcers, Candida and Herpes esophagitis, Zenker's Diverticulum, shatzkes ring, esophageal cancer, esophageal varices (blood vessels) and esophageal strictures.
Stomach Diseases: Peptic ulcer disease, gastritis, hiatal hernia, H. Pylori infection, stomach cancer, gastroparesis, pyloric stenosis, problems due to gastric sleeves and bypasses, pernicious anemia, atrophic gastritis, gastric fistulas, non ulcer dyspepsia, cyclic vomiting, Menetriere's disease, gastric polyps, GAVE (Gastric Antral Vascular Ectasia) and other bleeding stomach lesions.
Small Intestinal Diseases: Crohn's disease, Celiac disease, tropical sprue, duodenal ulcer disease, malabsorption disorders, dumping syndrome, small bowel bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), cancers of the small bowel, small bowel bleeding, meckel's diverticulum, CSID (Congenital Sucrase Isomaltase Deficiency), Whipple's disease, intestinal polyps, and intestinal strictures.
Diseases of the colon: Colon caner and polyps, diverticulosis and diverticulitis, constipation, diarrhea, hemorrhoids, anal fissures and fistulas, arterial venous malformations (AVMs), rectal prolapse and rectal bleeding.
Diseases of the liver: Fatty liver, cirrhosis, alcoholic liver disease, hepatitis, liver cancer, Wilson's disease, primary and secondary biliary cirrhosis, and diseases of the bile ducts such as sclerosing cholangitis, bile duct stones, cysts and strictures, as well as elevations of bilirubin and liver enzymes from other causes.
Colon cancer is the second most common cancer in both men and woman. The current recommendation from the American Cancer Society is to start screening at age 45 for low risk men and women. If you have a family history of colon cancer or precancerous polyps, screening should be done earlier. Family history of other GI cancers, Ovarian, uterine or cervical cancers, may also increase risk and warrant earlier screening. Anyone with inflammatory bowel disease such as Ulcerative or Crohn's colitis also need earlier screening.
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