UofL gastroenterology physician specialists involve a wide spectrum of clinicians to offer the most comprehensive care to their patients, including dieticians, pharmacists and visiting nurses.
The gastroenterology faculty also serve on other multi-disciplinary care teams, such as the GI surgery conference, which meets weekly to discuss all aspects of care for surgical patients. In addition, the Gastroenterology and Hepatology faculty clinicians are world leaders in research of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a leading cause of cirrhosis. Findings here at UofL have included identifying zinc supplements and herbal preparations that may slow or even reverse the progression of cirrhosis.
Areas of specialty include:
Featured Service:
The open-access Gastrointestinal Motility Lab located in the UofL Health Care Outpatient Center is now open! The lab is run by Dr. John Wo.
New State-of-the-Art Procedures Offered:
§ High-Resolution Esophageal Manometry – uses a solid-state catheter with 36 sensors at 1-cm spacing to cover the entire esophagus. It can better define diffuse or segmental esophageal dysmotility and upper and lower esophageal sphincter dysfunctions. No “pull-through” is needed and procedure time is cut by half. Patient tolerance is much better.
§ High-Resolution Anorectal Manometry – uses a solid-state catheter with 10 sensors at 0.6-cm spacing to study the anal sphincter strength and relaxation, defecating coordination, rectal compliance, and sensation.
§ pH-Impedance Monitoring – ambulatory monitoring to quantify acid and non-acidic gastroesophageal reflux.
§ Smart Pill GI Monitoring System – uses a wireless capsule to measure the total and segmental transit times and pressures throughout the entire GI tract. Used for diagnosing gastroparesis, small bowel dysmotility and colonic inertia.
Other Procedures Include:
§ Bravo pH Telemetry – wireless pH monitoring, usually placed during an EGD, but can be placed with a documented GE junction measurement.
§ Hydrogen Breath Testing – uses lactose to detect lactose intolerance; glucose or lactulose to detect small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.
§ Small Bowel Capsule Endoscopy – wireless capsule to visualize the small bowel.
§ Esophageal Capsule Endoscopy – wireless capsule to visualize the esophagus without endoscopy. Approved for the evaluation of esophageal varices in patients with cirrhosis.
Related Links:
UofL Department of Medicine
UofL Department of Medicine Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition