There are a litany of factors that can contribute to gastrointestinal health. Pollution, eating a ton of unhealthy food, and major changes to lifestyle can lead to potential illness and even the exacerbation of current illness.
That is why it is important to have access to a gastrointestinal centre where diagnosing, treating, and even preventing a broad array of gastro issues is the main goal. When our gastrointestinal tracts are not feeling well, it is hard for us to live our lives comfortably.
With the proper centre, it means having access to personalised care. It means having access to physicians with years and even decades of experience who have been there and done that, able to provide a more accurate diagnosis.
Gastroscopy
For those who have been battling gastrointestinal issues and are not new to all that they bring with them, something more serious may be required. Among those are a gastroscopy, colonoscopy, and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).
The gastroscopy, for instance, is used to examine the stomach, duodenum, and esophagus. This involves a thin tube that passes through those areas, using a light and a camera to provide the physician with clear views of what is happening.
This allows the doctor to see what issues, if any, are present. Abnormalities can potentially cause symptoms such as upper abdominal pain and bloody stool, for instance. When an abnormality has been found, proper treatment can be recommended for a move towards recovery.
Colonoscopy
This procedure is similar to the gastroscopy in many ways. It also involves a long tube, camera, and light but the difference is that this procedure runs through the rectum and the large intestine. The procedure is meant to screen for things such as cancer, chronic inflammatory bowel disease, and a litany of other gastrointestinal conditions.
ERCP
This procedure is the combination of an endoscopy and an x-ray. With certain symptoms such as tenderness or pain, this procedure can be used to determine whether calculous cholecystitis, acalculous cholecystitis, bile duct stones, gallstones, or some other abnormality is present.
The goal with each of these procedures is to determine whether or not there are abnormalities present that could not be seen through traditional measures like MRI and MRA, all to provide a more accurate diagnosis so that the proper levels of treatment can be implemented. That is the process for feeling better with gastro issues.
