Gastroenterology is the medical branch involving managing, treating, and curing the digestive system’s conditions. Gastroenterologists study the functioning of the digestive organs and structures, which include the colon, rectum, stomach, small intestines, gallbladder, liver, bile ducts, esophagus, and stomach, to treat illnesses. These professionals have a detailed understanding of the movement of materials through the stomach and intestines, digestion and nutrient absorption mechanisms, waste removal, and the livers’ role in digestion.
Gastroenterologists diagnose and treat gastrointestinal illnesses such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and stomach ulcers, esophageal disorders including hiatal hernias and esophagitis, liver diseases such as cirrhosis and toxic hepatitis, and gallbladder disorders including gallstones and pancreatitis. Endoscopy, colonoscopy, polypectomy, and esophageal dilation are the common procedures gastroenterologists perform to treat patients.
Endoscopy is inserting a thin, long tube with a camera on the end through the mouth and into the esophagus to observe the upper gastrointestinal tract. The camera sends images to the specialist's screen to enable monitoring of the esophagus, stomach, and the first part of the small intestine. This procedure is important for investigating certain symptoms, including stomach pains, bleeding, difficulty swallowing, unexplained weight loss, and persistent heartburns.
Notably, it is challenging to monitor the lower parts of the small intestine using standard endoscopy. Gastroenterologists opt for another form of endoscopy, known as capsule endoscopy, which uses a wireless camera placed inside a capsule that the patient swallows. The camera takes multiple photos inside the digestive system and sends signals to a wearable belt. The pill takes between 24 and 48 hours to pass through the digestive system, allowing specialists to analyze the patient’s entire gastrointestinal tract.
Alternatively, an enteroscopy, another type of endoscopy, can help monitor the lower parts of the small intestine. This procedure uses a flexible tube with a light and camera at the end to advance deeper into the intestine. Enteroscopy helps gastroenterologists seal bleeding sections of the small intestine’s lining, identify the cause of poor nutrient absorption, and get tissue samples for a biopsy.
Colonoscopy, like standard endoscopy, involves monitoring a patient’s digestive system using a camera attached to the end of a long, thin tube. However, unlike endoscopy, the tube is inserted in the patient’s rectum. Specialists can effectively view the entire colon and rectum, allowing them to detect early signs of colon and rectum cancer, identify the cause of bowel movement changes, and investigate the causes of certain symptoms, including rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, and unexplained weight loss.
Polypectomy, conversely, involves removing polyps, the noncancerous growths inside the bowel’s lining. This minimally invasive procedure is necessary after a gastroenterologist identifies polyps during a colonoscopy or endoscopy. If the growth is minimal, physicians remove the polyps by burning them with an electric current. For severe cases, gastroenterologists make a small incision on the patient’s abdominal region to remove the polyps using wire loop forceps.
Lastly, esophageal dilation involves widening the food pipe’s narrowed section. Acid reflux, which occurs when the stomach acid repeatedly flows back to the esophagus, layers of excessive tissue, esophageal cancer, and radiation scarring are the most common causes of narrowing of the food pipe. Physicians use a plastic dilator or inflate a balloon in the esophagus to stretch it. They often require sedating the patient or administering a local anesthetic spray on the neck area to facilitate the procedure.
