Our gastroenterologists perform a high volume of colonoscopies to screen for colorectal cancer. For people who are at average risk of colorectal cancer, screening usually begins at age 45. Find out more about colorectal cancer screening.

One of the benefits of colonoscopy is that your provider can remove precancerous polyps during the procedure, using small instruments inserted through the colonoscope. Polyp removal decreases your risk of developing colorectal cancer in the future.

Radiofrequency ablation is a treatment for Barrett’s esophagus. Your provider uses an electrode to deliver electrical impulses that heat diseased tissue and destroy it.

Endoscopic mucosal resection is a procedure to treat advanced Barrett’s esophagus. Your provider suctions a small section of diseased esophageal tissue into a cap on the endoscope, creating a pouch. Your provider then seals the pouch with a rubber band and removes it.

A stent is a tube placed inside a passageway in the body to provide support and keep the passageway open. Our gastroenterologists are skilled at placing stents in the esophagus, stomach, colon and bile ducts. We most often use them when cancerous tumors block parts of the digestive tract.

Colorectal polyps are growths of tissue inside your large intestine that can become cancerous. Gastroenterologists typically remove small colorectal polyps during a colonoscopy. Our specialists also have experience removing large growths.

ECRP combines upper endoscopy and X-ray imaging to diagnose and treat conditions of the gallbladder, bile ducts and pancreatic ducts. In ERCP, your provider:

1. Guides an endoscope to the opening where the pancreatic and bile ducts empty into your small intestine
2. Slides a narrower tube through the endoscope into the ducts
3. Injects a dye visible with an X-ray that can show a narrow or blocked duct

Your provider may pass small tools or lasers through the endoscope to:

• Collect a tissue sample for laboratory analysis (biopsy)
• Break up stones (lithotripsy)
• Insert tubes (stents)

EUS uses an endoscope with an ultrasound probe at the end to view structures outside the GI tract, such as the pancreas, bile duct and liver. With ultrasound guidance, your provider can pass fine needles, sensors and other tools through the endoscope into these nearby structures to perform procedures, such as:

• Biopsy: Your provider collects a tissue sample by passing a fine needle through the endoscope and into the affected tissue.
• Celiac plexus block: The celiac plexus is a bundle of nerves that carries signals between your digestive system and your brain. We treat pain caused by pancreatic cancer by injecting medication into these nerves.
• Cyst gastrostomy: We use cyst gastrostomy to treat pancreatic cysts. Your provider bores a small hole through your stomach into the cyst, then places a stent to allow drainage into the intestinal tract.
• Endohepatology procedures: Endohepatology includes several EUS procedures we use to diagnose and treat liver conditions through the digestive tract. Our advanced endoscopists are highly skilled in these precise procedures.

Acid reflux and other conditions can cause scarring and narrowing of the esophagus. In esophageal dilation, your provider uses thin plastic tubes to dilate the narrowed area (bougie dilation) or guides a deflated balloon through the narrowed area, then inflates the balloon to expand the esophagus.

Gastrostomy is a procedure to place a feeding tube in people who have difficulty eating or drinking on their own. The feeding tube runs from the outside of your abdomen to your stomach. Your provider makes a small incision through your abdomen into your stomach and places the tube with help of an endoscope.

In capsule endoscopy, you swallow a small video camera shaped like a pill. As the capsule passes through your intestinal tract, it records a video. We typically use capsule endoscopy to examine areas of your small intestine we cannot access with traditional endoscopes.