Gastroenterology

Wayne Health Gastroenterology specialists diagnose and treat conditions and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, which includes the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, colon, rectum, pancreas, gallbladder and liver.

Wayne Health gastroenterologists are subspecialty trained and subspecialty board certified and focus on delivering personalized services and the highest quality care for every patient.

Gastroenterology at Wayne Health has been designated a Center of Excellence for the treatment of liver disease.

Wayne Health gastroenterology doctors diagnose and treat a wide range of GI and liver diseases. Some of the more common conditions are listed below:

Diseases of the digestive tract (gastrointestinal or GI tract), including:

• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD, acid reflux) and its complications
• Barrett’s esophagus
• Swallowing disorders, including achalasia
• Gastric and duodenal ulcer disease and H. pylori gastritis
• Celiac disease and malabsorption
• Pancreatitis
• Gallstones and other biliary tract problems
• Inflammatory bowel diseases, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease
• Gastrointestinal bleeding disorders
• Colon polyps and colon cancer and polyp screening
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Diseases of the liver, including:

• Chronic viral hepatitis B and hepatitis C
• Autoimmune liver diseases
• Cirrhosis
• End Stage Liver Disease
• Fatty liver disease

Wayne Health’s outpatient Gastroenterology clinics offer face-to-face and telemedicine visits. Wayne Health gastroenterologists also provide a full range of general and advanced diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic procedures, including:

• Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD/Upper Endoscopy) – examination of the lining of the esophagus, stomach and upper duodenum with a small camera (flexible endoscope) inserted down the throat. Biopsies, polypectomies and other interventions can be performed.
• Esophageal dilation (stretching narrowed areas), including pneumatic dilation for achalasia
• Colonoscopy with polypectomy/endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) – examination of the colon using a colonoscope, a flexible fiberoptic scope with a camera that is inserted in the rectum.
• Ablative endoscopic procedures
• Enteral stent placement for intestinal blockages
• Endoscopic Variceal Band Ligation (EVL) – rubber bands placed to stop or prevent bleeding from large esophageal veins in patients with liver cirrhosis
• Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube placement (stomach feeding tube)
• PEG-J tube placement (small intestine feeding tube)
• ERCP – a technique combining a flexible, lighted scope called an endoscope, with X-ray pictures to examine the tubes that drain the liver, gallbladder and pancreas. It is done for various purposes, including diagnosing and removing gallstones, relieving blocked bile ducts (stenting) and diagnosing pancreas diseases.
• Diagnostic and interventional Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS), including fine needle aspirations (FNA) / fine needle biopsies (FNB), drainage of abscesses and fluid collections, gastro-jejunostomy creation
• Hemorrhoidal band ligation – eradication of hemorrhoidal tissue using application of rubber bands
• Wireless (video) Capsule Endoscopy (camera pill) – painless procedure that uses a camera capsule (swallowed by the patient) that takes 50,000 pictures as it goes through the intestine and transmits them wirelessly to a computer so the gastroenterologist can examine the entire small intestine

Other important diagnostic services offered at Wayne Health:

• Bravo Esophageal pH monitoring – measures the amount of acid reflux
• High Resolution Esophageal Impedance Manometry – evaluates swallowing problems and acid reflux by measuring the pressures in the esophagus, its sphincter muscles and esophageal function
• Liver Fibroscan – measures the amount of scar tissue and fat in the liver painlessly without having to perform liver biopsy.

Physicians, providers and researchers at Wayne Health are also faculty members of the Wayne State University School of Medicine who conduct research and clinical studies. This makes the latest treatments and clinical trials available to you sooner than other health providers without a medical school affiliation. We specialize in translational research that creates new therapies, medical procedures or diagnostic advancements.

Major areas of research include:

• Chronic liver disease
• Parenteral/enteral nutrition
• Chronic viral hepatitis
• Colorectal cancer
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease

For more information, please visit the links below at the WSU School of Medicine.