Technology-assisted diagnosis & treatment for digestive conditions

Our gastroenterologists use the latest technology to identify, diagnose and treat a wide range of digestive conditions. By visualizing the GI tract using a video-equipped endoscope (a thin, flexible tube with a tiny light and camera on it), a FibroScan® (a specialized ultrasound-based device) to test for liver health, or CellVizio® (a flexible, extremely small microscope), your doctor can take care of potential problems before they become more serious.

Have a referral to a gastroenterologist for an endoscopic procedure? Schedule an appointment by calling 800-3-ADVOCATE or finding a gastroenterologist online.

Diagnostic endoscopy

In a diagnostic endoscopy, your doctor passes an endoscope into your intestines through either the esophagus or the rectum and views the lining of your intestinal tract on a video monitor.

Our diagnostic endoscopy procedures

• Anorectal manometry (3D): Procedure used to measure the muscle contractions in the anus and rectum.
• Capsule endoscopy: Procedure in which you swallow a capsule with a camera on it, which takes pictures of the inside of your GI tract.
• Colonoscopy: Internal examination of the colon.
• Esophageal manometry (3D): Procedure used to measure the muscle contractions in the esophagus.
• Esophageal 48-hour pH monitoring
• Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD): Internal examination of the lining of your esophagus, stomach and upper duodenum.
• Flexible sigmoidoscopy: Internal examination of the inside of the lower portion of your colon, called the sigmoid colon.
• Hydrogen breath testing: Simple, noninvasive test that helps in diagnosing irritable bowel syndrome and other common food intolerances, including lactose intolerance and celiac disease.
• Upper GI endoscopy

Interventional endoscopy

With interventional endoscopy procedures, physicians can take tissue samples or do other minor surgical procedures while examining your GI tract. This means quicker treatment and recovery, as well as a lower risk for complications compared to traditional surgery.

Our interventional endoscopy procedures

• Colonic stent placement: Insertion of a small tube to hold open a colon obstruction and allow food and liquid to pass through more easily.
• Endoscopic hemorrhoid treatment: Brief, painless, minimally invasive procedure to remove hemorrhoids.
• Endoscopic pseudo cyst drainage: Endoscopic drainage of pancreatic cysts using endoscopic ultrasound to evaluate and treat them.
• Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR): Procedure in which a physician removes cancerous tissues or lesions from a patient's digestive tract.
• Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP): Procedure used to identify stones, tumors or narrowing in the bile ducts.
• Esophageal stent placement: Insertion of a small tube to hold open a blocked or narrowed part of the esophagus to help a patient swallow more easily.
• Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) with fine needle aspiration: A procedure in which a physician inserts an endoscope and gathers ultrasound images of the inside of the digestive tract; a needle can be used to aspirate tissue and obtain cells that can be analyzed for signs of cancer or other problems.
• EUS-guided celiac nerve block: For the treatment of chronic pain in those with chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer.
• EUS-guided marker placement.
• Laparoscopic-assisted endoscopic polyp removal: Minimally invasive procedure used to remove polyps.
• Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG tube): Insertion of a feeding tube through the abdominal wall into the stomach during an EGD.
• Radiofrequency ablation therapy (Barrx HALO): Minimally invasive treatment for Barrett's esophagus, a condition that can lead to esophageal cancer. In this procedure, a physician uses an endoscope to insert a catheter that generates short bursts of high energy to burn away a thin layer of damaged tissue around the circumference of the esophagus.
• Trans Oral Incisionless Fundoplication (TIF): Procedure that reconstructs the antireflux valve using an EsophyX device and restores the body’s natural protection against reflux. The EsophyX device and the endoscope are gently inserted through the mouth to form and fasten tissue folds to reconstruct the antireflux valve at the junction of the esophagus and the stomach.

Fibroscan liver health test

FibroScan is a noninvasive ultrasound-based test that helps assess your liver health by measuring liver scarring, or fibrosis, caused by liver disease. Similar to a conventional ultrasound, FibroScan testing offers a quick, easy assessment of your liver health while providing a pain-free, non-surgical alternative to a traditional biopsy. FibroScan helps with screening and treatment for these conditions.

• Alcoholic liver disease
• Cirrhosis
• Fatty liver disease
• Genetic diseases such as hemochromatosis and Wilson’s disease
• Hepatitis:
  • Autoimmune hepatitis
  • Hepatitis B
  • Hepatitis C
  • Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)

Cellvizio confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE)

CellVizio’s advanced, minimally invasive technology uses the world's smallest flexible microscope to provide real-time cellular-level images of tissue, generate optical biopsies and greatly enhance diagnostic confidence. CellVizio supports treatment for the following GI conditions.

• Barrett’s esophagus
• Biliary and pancreatic strictures
• Colorectal lesions
• Gastric disease
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Pancreatic cysts