Conditions Treated
We Treat a Range
of GI Conditions
We have treated a wide variety of gastrointestinal conditions since Digestive Health Institute’s establishment in 1998. Our specialists will work with each patient to determine the root cause of and the most effective treatment options for their GI condition. Ready to start getting help with your GI condition?
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GI Conditions
Anal/Rectal Abscess
An anal or rectal abscess is an infected cavity filled with pus found near the anus or rectum. Abscesses cause pain, swelling and sometimes a fever. About 50% of abscesses become a fistula (a small tunnel from the rectum to the skin near the anus).
Colon Polyps
A colon polyp is a growth on the surface of the large intestine or colon. While some colon polyps are benign, meaning they are not cancer, other types of polyps may already be cancer or can become cancer later.
Crohn’s Disease
Crohn’s is an inflammatory bowel disease, meaning it causes inflammation in the digestive tract, which can spread to the deep layers of the bowel. Crohn’s disease can cause painful symptoms that interfere with daily life, and it can lead to potentially life-threatening complications for some people. Fortunately, there is treatment available for Crohn’s, which can make symptoms more manageable and heal inflammation in the digestive tract.
Gallstones
Gallstones are pebble-like substances that form in the gallbladder, ranging in size from a grain of sand to a golf ball. A gallbladder can develop one stone, or hundreds of tiny stones.
Hepatitis
Hepatitis means an inflammation of the liver. Inflammation causes painful, red swelling and occurs when tissues become injured or infected. The inflammation can cause organs to not function properly.
Pilonidal Disease
Pilonidal disease is a chronic skin infection in the crease of the buttocks near the coccyx (tailbone). It can be caused by stiff or excessive hair in the cleft of the buttocks. Excessive sitting and obesity increases the risk for pilonidal disease.
Barrett’s Esophagus
Barrett’s esophagus is a health condition that develops when acid reflux damages the esophagus, which is the pink tube connecting the stomach to the mouth. This damage causes the lining of the esophagus to grow thicker and redden in color.
Barrett’s esophagus often develops because of gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD, which involves symptoms like heartburn and regurgitation of food. Barrett’s esophagus is the result of GERD symptoms leading to changes in the cells that line the lower portion of the esophagus.
Cirrhosis
Cirrhosis is a condition in which the liver malfunctions due to chronic injury, and scar tissue replaces healthy liver tissue.
There are multiple possible causes of cirrhosis. Examples include alcohol-related liver disease, hepatitis C, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), hepatitis, and some inherited diseases.
GERD
Gastroesophageal reflux disease, referred to as GERD, is a condition that causes stomach acid to flow back through the esophagus, which is the tube that connects the mouth and the stomach. When stomach acid flows back through the esophagus, it is called acid reflux, and this can cause irritation to the lining of the esophagus.
Gastroparesis
Gastroparesis is a disorder in which the muscles in the stomach and the intestine do not work normally, causing food to move slowly or to stop moving through the digestive tract. This can prevent your stomach from properly emptying after you eat.
H. Pylori Infection
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a bacterium and is a major cause of peptic ulcers. It damages the mucous coating that protects the stomach and duodenum. This damage allows powerful stomach acid to irritate the lining of the stomach, and together with the H. pylori, this can cause the ulcer.
Ulcerative Colitis
Ulcerative colitis is a disease that causes inflammation and ulcers in the lining of the rectum and colon.
Ulcerative colitis can be difficult to diagnose because symptoms are similar to other intestinal disorders. Each person experiences ulcerative colitis differently, so treatments may vary.
Celiac Disease
Celiac disease is a digestive disease that interferes with the absorption of nutrients and causes damage to the small intestine. People with Celiac Disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley, and which also may be found in products such as medicines, vitamins, and lip balms.
Colon Cancer
Colon and rectal cancer is the second most common cancer in the United States. In 2017, nearly 136,000 new cases of colorectal cancer were expected to be diagnosed in the U.S. About 1 in 20 (5%) Americans will develop colorectal cancer during their lifetime.
Fatty Liver Disease
Fatty liver disease, often called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is a condition that occurs when there is excess fat in the liver’s cells. The term NAFLD is used to describe liver conditions that are present in people who do not abuse alcohol. This condition affects about one-fourth of people living in the United States, and it is the most prevalent type of chronic liver disease.
Hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids are blood vessels in the lower rectum and around the anus. They often result from straining to have bowel movements, constipation, and increased pressure on the lower rectum. They also can result from pregnancy, aging with weakness of the tissues, and diarrhea. Hemorrhoids can be either internal or external, depending on their location.
Pancreatitis
Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas, a large gland behind the stomach. Normally, enzymes released by the pancreas become active when they reach the small intestine, but when the pancreas is inflamed, the enzymes inside the pancreas attack and damage the tissues that produce them.
Ulcers
A peptic ulcer is a sore in the lining of your stomach (a gastric ulcer) or duodenum (a duodenal ulcer).
Treatments
Now that you’ve taken a moment to review some of the conditions that we treat at our clinic, we suggest also taking some time to read about our treatment options. The specific treatment options we provide include:
EGD
Upper endoscopy, also known as an upper GI endoscopy, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, EGD and panendoscopy, is a procedure that enables your physician to examine the lining of the upper part of your gastrointestinal tract, i.e., the esophagus or swallowing tube, stomach, and duodenum or first portion of the small intestine using a thin flexible tube with its own lens and light source.
Flexible Sigmoidoscopy
Flexible sigmoidoscopy is a procedure that enables your physician to examine the lining of the rectum and a portion of the colon (large bowel) by inserting a flexible tube that is about the thickness of your finger into the anus and advancing it slowly into the rectum along the length of the lower part of the colon.
Capsule Endoscopy
Simply requiring a 12-hour fast along with prescription colon prep prior to the procedure, the Capsule Endoscopy procedure begins when the patient swallows the capsule with a small amount of water. Data and images are transmitted as the capsule passes through the digestive system and are received by the data recorder affixed to a belt worn by the patient.
After approximately eight hours, the patient returns the Data Recorder to our office for processing by a dedicated computer workstation. The computer’s RAPID® Application Software enables us to view and analyze the resulting patient video report.
Robotic Transanal Surgery
Robotic Transanal Surgery is a minimally invasive surgical technique that allows the surgeon to operate on problems in the mid and upper rectum without having to make an incision through the abdomen. The instruments are specially designed so that the procedure can be performed through the anus and in the rectum.
Endoscopic Retrograde
ERCP is a specialized technique used to study the ducts (drainage routes) of the gallbladder, pancreas and liver. An endoscope (flexible thin tube that allows the physician to see inside the bowel) is passed through the mouth, esophagus and stomach into the duodenum. After the opening to ducts from the liver and pancreas is identified, a catheter is passed through the endoscope into the ducts. Contrast material is then injected gently into the ducts and x-ray films are taken.
Colonoscopy
Colonoscopy is a procedure that enables your physician to examine the lining of the colon (large bowel or large intestine) for abnormalities. A flexible tube that is about the thickness of your finger is inserted into the rectum and advanced along the length of the colon.
Robotic Colon Surgery
Robotic colon surgery is a minimally invasive type of surgery, in which a surgeon is able to operate via a few small incisions with the assistance of a robotic device. Commonly referred to as laparoscopic surgery, a robotic surgical system utilizes tiny instruments and cameras to give the surgeon a high definition view of the operating site, as well as translating the surgeon’s movements into smaller, precise movements. Many common colon and rectal procedures can utilize this method.
Minimally Invasive Surgery
Capitol Colorectal Surgery is the only sub-specialty practice in mid-Michigan that regularly performs minimally invasive surgery for diseases of the colon and rectum. Our practice uses up to date minimally invasive techniques including robotic and laparoscopic approaches.
EUS/Rectal EUS
After spraying a solution to numb the patient’s throat, the doctor inserts an endoscope—a thin, flexible, lighted tube—down the throat, through the stomach, and into the small intestine. The doctor turns on an ultrasound attachment to the scope that produces sound waves to create visual images of the pancreas and bile ducts.
Ostomy
An ostomy, or stoma, is a surgically created opening between the intestines and the abdominal wall. Ostomies can be temporary or permanent.
Liver Biopsy
A liver biopsy is a procedure that involves taking a small piece of liver tissue for examination with a microscope for signs of damage or disease. The three types of liver biopsy are the following:
- Percutaneous biopsy—the most common type of liver biopsy—involves inserting a hollow needle through the abdomen into the liver. The abdomen is the area between the chest and hips.
- Transvenous biopsy involves making a small incision in the neck and inserting a needle through a hollow tube called a sheath through the jugular vein to the liver.
- Laparoscopic biopsy involves inserting a laparoscope, a thin tube with a tiny video camera attached, through a small incision to look inside the body to view the surface of organs. The health care provider will insert a needle through a plastic, tubelike instrument called a cannula to remove the liver tissue sample.
Laparoscopic Colon Surgery
A technique known as minimally invasive laparoscopic colon surgery allows surgeons to perform many common colon procedures through small incisions. Depending on the type of procedure, patients may leave the hospital in a few days and return to normal activities more quickly than patients recovering from open surgery.
In most laparoscopic colon resections, surgeons operate through 4 or 5 small openings (each about a quarter inch) while watching an enlarged image of the patient’s internal organs on a television monitor. In some cases, one of the small openings may be lengthened to 2 or 3 inches to complete the procedure.