- Diagnosis and therapy of disorders of the gastrointestinal tract; for instance, heartburn, stomach ulcers, colon cancer or “things we don’t mention” (that is, anything which has to do with one’s bottom)
- Diagnosis and therapy of liver and gall bladder disorders such as jaundice, fatty liver, and hepatitis
From hoarseness, rumbling in the gut to anal itching
Till this day more than half of all visitors to the doctor concern disorders of the gastrointestinal tract …
Gastroenterology deals with illnesses affecting the oral cavity, stomach, bowels, or the anus. Changes in the liver, gall bladder, pancreas, and spleen also belong in this specialist field as well as all digestive disorders – after all, a complicated process which is prone to failure on many quite different levels takes place until the sandwich that we had for breakfast becomes the stools which we excrete.
The examination of intestinal flora is also anchored in this field. Intestinal bacteria, which actually make up two kilos of one’s body-weight, are in a fascinating relationship to normal and abnormal organ function such as obesity, coronary risk, and neurological functional disorders. In addition to this, they play an important role in triggering irritable bowel syndrome – and they can even influence how effective some chemotherapies will be in treating tumours.
Whether you are suffering from stomach-ache, nausea or diarrhoea, if your skin is turning yellow, or your anus is burning – gastroenterologists will find out which of the myriad possible causes could lie behind your symptoms and what the appropriate treatment should be. By asking relevant questions, they try to filter out the most probable reasons for the complaint and then using special tests find the cause in order to cure the problem in the gentlest way possible.
We have the following special tests and examinations at our disposal:
Laboratory tests as these help to decipher diseases of the liver among other things.
Ultrasound scan, including colour duplex sonography, of the thyroid, heart, vasculature, liver, and other abdominal organs. Often gallstones, for instance, are the cause of cramp-like pains under the right ribcage.
A gastroscopy is essential when a patient complains of heartburn or abdominal discomfort in order to test if an ulcer or even a tumour could be the cause – which, thank goodness, is only very rarely the case.
A colonoscopy makes it possible to recognize colon cancer (or preferably the precursor stages) in time. After all, the risk of contracting this disease during one’s lifetime is five to seven percent; only a colonoscopy can reduce this risk – and by ninety percent!
Here you will find more information on gastroscopy and colonoscopy procedures.
Should further clarification be necessary, there is the possibility of examining the liver via ARFI technology (Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse) and if indicated the use of a contrast agent at the Leberzentrum München with whom we collaborate closely.