Overview
Gastrointestinal Surgeries are those surgeries related to digestion or gastrointestinal system. The digestive system is an intricate system which can be disturbed by food bacteria, any disease or any kind of stress. Some digestive problems need to be treated with medicines, lifestyle/ habit changes or surgeries.
The Surgical Gastroenterologist specializes in the gastrointestinal tract diseases related to esophageal, stomach, small and large intestine, liver, pancreas and gall bladder.
Ultrasound and Endoscopy are diagnostic tools. Nowadays, the technology gives the patient minimal pain with fast recovery with Laparoscopic Surgery also known as Keyhole Surgery. This surgical process includes small incision in the abdominal wall and doing surgery through small incisions for quick and easy recovery. The patients may get discharged much early and recovers faster compared to open surgery.
When should one visit a GI Surgeon ?
- Pain in abdomen, vomiting, frequent loose stools with blood, blood in stools.
- Some symptoms like difficulty in swallowing, blood in vomitus, jaundice with itching, weight loss and loss of hunger could be early signs of cancer.
- Often stones in gall bladder or liver cancer may not show symptoms and are recognized on routine health checkup.
Does a GI Surgeon treat cancer?
Yes, a GI Surgeon is a specialized cancer surgeon who operates on cancer of the gastrointestinal tract.
Can Cancer be treated successfully through laparoscopic surgery?
Yes, recent studies have shown that laparoscopic surgery is superior to open in terms of cancer cure.
Services
Department of GI Surgery at AIMS deals with following diseases:
Conditions affecting the Esophagus (Food pipe):
- Esophageal diverticulum
- Corrosive (acid) ingestion injuries and strictures
- Achalasia cardia and other motility disorders
- Gastresophgeal Reflux Disease (GERD)
- Hiatus hernia
- Esophageal cancer
Conditions affecting the Stomach and Duodenum:
- Peptic ulcer disease and its complications
- Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (GIST)
- Stomach cancer
Conditions affecting Colon and Rectum:
- Ulcerative colitis
- Crohn’s disease
- Rectal prolapse
- Colonic diverticulitis
- Colonic cancer
- Rectal cancer
- Perianal diseases
Conditions affecting the Liver:
- Liver Cancer (HCC)
- Bile duct cancer (Cholangiocarcinoma)
- Metastatic colorectal cancer
- Neuroendocrine tumors
- Other metastatic tumors
- Benign liver lesions
Conditions affecting the pancreas include:
- Pancreatic cancer
- Pancreatitis
- Pseudocyst
- Cystic tumors
Conditions affecting the bile ducts and gallbladder include:
- Gallstones
- Biliary stricture
- Bile leaks (caused by trauma and surgery)
- Cancer (cholangiocarcinoma/gallbladder)
Treatment of all kinds abdominal and GI surgical problems including Major GI Surgeries as mentioned below are also performed at AIMS :
- Esophagectomy
- Gastrectomy
- Total proctocolectomy
- Ileal Pouch Anal Anastomosis for Ulcerative Colitis
- Liver resection