Gastrointestinal Services and Treatments

Treatment of digestive conditions

For many digestive health disorders, symptoms can be managed effectively with the right combination of treatment and lifestyle changes.

GI procedures and treatments

Treatments for GI issues may include:

• Argon plasma coagulation
• Botox^® injection
• Dilation
• Fecal microbiota transplant
• Flexible sigmoidoscopy
• Liver biopsy
• Paracentesis
• Small bowel enteroscopy
• Thoracentesis

Interventional scopes

Endoscopic procedures such as colonoscopies most often are used to screen for ulcers, inflammation and infection. Sometimes they are used to treat digestive health issues, collect tissue samples for biopsy, remove polyps or treat bleeding. A scope may also be used to remove foreign objects that have been swallowed.

Find out more about endoscopy and colonoscopy.

Medications

We may prescribe medication to relieve gastrointestinal symptoms so you can live as normally as possible. Depending on your symptoms, these may include fiber supplements, anti-diarrheal medications, antibiotics or other prescriptions shown to reduce the symptoms associated with your specific condition.

Throughout our system, our advanced offerings include:

• Antidepressant medications - Prescribed in low doses to relieve your anxiety. These medications also block pain signals between your brain and your abdomen.
• Anti-inflammatory medications - These medications relieve pain by reducing inflammation within your digestive tract and organs.
• Anti-spasmodic medications - These medications relieve cramps or spasms in your stomach and intestines.
• Injections - Some conditions can be alleviated by using a celiac nerve block. This treatment involves injecting a pain medication directly into the bundle of nerves responsible for carrying pain signals to your abdominal region.
• Pain medications - These medications change the way your body and brain process pain signals.

You will need to call your local hospital to learn which of the above options are available in your area.

Surgery

In some cases, surgery may be needed to remove affected sections of the bowel, such as in the colon, rectum or small intestine. Upper gastrointestinal surgery also can be performed to treat cancers or tumors of the esophagus, pancreas or liver.

Learn more about our GI surgical offerings: 

• Colectomy - A surgical procedure used to treat colon diseases. The surgery involves removing a portion of the colon, or large intestine, and reattaching the two remaining sections of the colon.
• Ostomy - An operation that creates an opening for your large or small intestine, through the abdominal wall.
• Rectal Prolapse Repair - A surgical treatment that reattaches your rectum to the lower part of your backbone, keeping it in place.

Read more about our surgical care offerings.