About Gastroenterologists
Gastroenterology is the branch of medicine that addresses the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of the diseases and disorders of the digestive system or the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and the doctor specialized in Gastroenterology is called a Gastroenterologist.
Gastroenterologists perform endoscopic procedures by using specialized instruments to view and examine the GI tract and make a diagnosis. Although they don’t perform surgery, they work very closely with the GI surgeon.
Your physician will as you to visit a Gastroenterologist if he observes any risk or disorder in your digestive system, some of the most common ones being:
- Abdominal pain and discomfort
- Stomach upset, nausea, vomiting
- Ulcers
- Bleeding in the digestive tract
- Inflammation in the digestive tract (e.g., gastritis)
- Cancer in the stomach [gastric], pancreas, liver, rectum etc.
- Constipation and diarrhea
- Difficulty in swallowing
- Gallbladder disease
- Liver disease (e.g., hepatitis, jaundice)
- Malabsorption disorders (e.g., celiac disease, lactose intolerance)
- Hemorrhoids
- Hiatal hernias
- Heartburn and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- Diverticular disease and other diseases related to the colon
- Unexplained weight loss
Procedures Performed
Gastroenterologists perform a range of nonsurgical procedures that help in the evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of the gastrointestinal tract or digestive system, below are some of the major ones:
- Endoscopic ultrasounds
- Colonoscopy to detect colon cancer or colon polyps
- Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography
- Sigmoidoscopy
- Liver biopsy to assess inflammation and fibrosis
- Capsule endoscopy
- Double balloon enteroscopy
Top Gastroenterologists in Poland
