Center for Digestive Health
Mission
The St. Mary's Hospital Center for Digestive Health team is dedicated to being a
leader in providing preventive care through invasive and noninvasive procedures,
with the objective of returning patients to their optimum quality of life.
What Makes Us Unique
Our ability to bring the St. Mary's Hospital staff and Prevea Clinic gastroenterology
(GI) physicians together around a comprehensive set of procedures and technology
in one location is the primary benefit to the patients we serve.
Through therapeutic intervention and early detection, our team works to take the
lead in the fight against diseases such as colorectal cancer and conditions such
as diverticulosis, reflux, ulcers, Crohn's, and colitis.
Procedures performed at St. Mary's include:
- Colonoscopy
Colorectal cancer is one of the most curable types of cancer, but the key is early
detection. A colonoscopy is a test in which the entire colon is checked by using
a lighted flexible tube with a camera-like device at one end. Polyps, which are
small growths attached to the inner wall of the intestine and can be cancerous,
can be removed during a colonoscopy.
About 150,000 new cases of colorectal cancer are diagnosed in the US each year.
About one person in 20 will develop colorectal cancer, the second leading cause
of death in the nation. Treatment results in a 90 percent success rate when the
disease is detected in its early stages.
Almost half of all Americans ages 60-80 suffer from diverticulosis, and almost everyone
over age 80 has the disorder. Diverticulosis is characterized by small pouches that
bulge through weak spots in the colon. When these pouches become infected or inflamed,
which occurs up to 25 percent of the time, the condition is called diverticulitis.
- Upper endoscopy
An upper endoscopy is a test in which the entire esophagus, stomach, and duodenum are checked using a lighted flexible tube with a camera-like device on one end.This procedure is used to detect the causes behind disorders such as reflux and heartburn. More than 60 million American adults experience GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) and heartburn at least once per month. The procedure can also be used to detect ulcers, which afflict one in 10 Americans at some time in their life.
- Sigmoidoscopy
- H. Pylori test
This test checks for a bacteria that can cause infection of the stomach, contributing to the development of ulcers in the stomach and duodenum. H. Pylori is responsible for up to 90 percent of ulcers.
- Lactose breath test
- Esophageal manometry
- 24-hour ambulatory
- pH paracentesis
- Feeding tube placement
- ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography)
This procedure is used to diagnose, evaluate, and treat conditions such as pancreatitis,
jaundice, common bile duct stones, and cancers of the bile duct and pancreas.
- Other noninvasive procedures
Endoscopic ultrasound is a relatively new technique that is useful in diagnosing
early cancers of the esophagus, stomach, pancreas, and rectum, disorders of the
bile duct, and even early staging of lung cancer.
Online Resources