Discover the latest treatment options from our top-rated gastroenterology specialists.
Recurring stomach conditions, such as severe heartburn, acid reflux, abdominal pain, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), colitis, Crohn’s Disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and recurring diarrhea, should never be ignored. Fortunately, we have some of the country’s most widely respected gastroenterologists readily available and right nearby at MedStar Montgomery Medical Center in Olney, MD.
Why choose us?
The experts in our Gastroenterology Department are nationally and internationally recognized as leaders in the diagnosis and treatment of digestive system disorders.
Some patients suffer for years until their digestive condition is accurately diagnosed. However, our team has specialized training and extensive real-world experience that allows us to accurately diagnose even complex conditions. In addition, our physicians are equipped with the latest technology to help ensure their diagnosis is correct the first time.
We're also committed to providing the latest treatment options. Our physicians are at the forefront of developing nationwide standards of care. In fact, some of our studies allow you to participate in procedures and technologies available at only a handful of centers across the country.
Gastrointestinal conditions and their common symptoms.
Look below to view different GI conditions, their causes, and the accompanying symptoms. See which condition reflects your own experience. Use this as a starting point for a discussion with one of our gastroenterologists.
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GERD
GERD is a severe, chronic acid reflux condition in which the muscle connecting your stomach to your esophagus (tube connecting your throat to your stomach) is weak or relaxes abnormally, allowing acidic stomach contents to back up into your esophagus. While rarely life threatening, GERD can lead to internal bleeding, ulcers, strictures, or esophageal cancer, if not detected early.
A likely cause of GERD is hiatal hernia (your stomach pushing up through your diaphragm muscle). Other risk factors for GERD include obesity, pregnancy, smoking, asthma, dry mouth, diabetes, and connective tissue disorder.
The most common symptoms of GERD are as follows:
- Heartburn, sometimes spreading to your throat and causing a sore throat, hoarseness, chronic cough, asthma, or the feeling of a lump in your throat
- Regurgitation, a feeling of acid backed up in your esophagus
- A feeling that food may be trapped behind your breastbone
- Nausea after eating
- Difficulty swallowing
- Chest pain
If you experience severe or frequent GERD symptoms, schedule an appointment with your doctor, as you may need diagnostic testing.
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Barrett’s Esophagus
Barrett’s esophagus is a disorder in which the lining of your esophagus is damaged by stomach acid. The acid leaks from your stomach upward and back into your esophagus, causing a sensation like heartburn that never goes away.
If your heartburn and/or acid reflux has persisted for more than five years, ask your doctor if you are at risk for Barrett’s esophagus.
The tissue changes that cause Barrett’s esophagus do not produce symptoms, and many patients with Barrett’s esophagus have no symptoms.
If you do experience symptoms, they will likely be due to GERD, and they most commonly include the following:
- Frequent heartburn
- Difficulty swallowing
- Chest pain
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Esophageal Motility Disorders
Esophageal Motility is the process of moving food through the esophagus and esophageal motility disorders occur when your esophagus doesn’t move together properly. One of the most common and treatable types of esophageal motility disorder is achalasia.
The symptoms of esophageal motility disorders are caused by food moving too quickly or slowly, backwards, or not moving through your digestive tract at all. Symptoms depend on your affected muscles and can include the following:
- Acid reflux
- Difficulty swallowing
- Heartburn
- Nausea
- Swallowing disorders
- Vomiting / regurgitation
If you have severe or frequent symptoms, schedule an appointment with your physician, as you may require diagnostic testing.
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Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Inflammatory Bowel Disease or IBD can affect people at any stage of life, disrupting their personal, professional, and social experiences. At the MedStar Georgetown Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Center, we work together with our IBD patients to provide them with the best medical and surgical care. Our IBD Center treats all types of IBD conditions, including:
- Crohn’s Disease
- Ulcerative Colitis
- Indeterminate Colitis
- Pouchitis Microscopic
- Enterocolitis; Lymphocytic and Collagenous Enterocolitis
- Celiac Disease
- Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis
- Diarrhea
IBD symptoms range from mild to severe with most people experiencing the milder ones.
- Abdominal distention
- Abdominal fullness, gas, bloating
- Abdominal pain that
- comes and goes
- is reduced or goes away after a bowel movement
- occurs after meals
- can wake you up
- Chronic and frequent constipation, usually accompanied by pain
- Family history of Crohn's and Colitis
- Chronic and frequent diarrhea, usually accompanied by pain
- Emotional distress
- Depression
- Loss of appetite
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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome or IBS is also known as spastic colon, intestinal neurosis, and nervous indigestion. It refers to a disorder of the lower intestinal tract that leads to abdominal pain and abnormal bowel movements.
The cause of IBS is not known, but it can occur after an intestinal infection (post-infectious IBS). IBS symptoms may be worse in patients who also have stress or mood disorders, such as anxiety and depression. That said, these conditions do not cause IBS.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) symptoms may include:
- Abdominal distention
- Abdominal fullness, gas, bloating
- Abdominal pain that
- comes and goes
- is reduced or goes away after a bowel movement
- occurs after meals
- Chronic and frequent constipation, usually accompanied by pain
- Chronic and frequent diarrhea, usually accompanied by pain
- Emotional distress
- Depression
- Loss of appetite
Meet our team of digestive health experts.
When you choose MedStar Health, you know you’re in the hands of some of the region’s top specialists. Our highly experienced and compassionate team will work together to design you a personalized care plan featuring the latest, state-of-the-art treatments.
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Gastroenterology Experts
We employ the most advanced technologies for treatment.
We’ve expanded our technical capabilities at MedStar Montgomery Medical Center. This includes now being able to perform endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), which uses a combination of endoscopy and x-ray technologies to identify and treat problems of the bile and pancreatic ducts. This advanced procedure offers a potential cure for certain GI diseases and provides a new alternative to invasive procedures that require longer recovery.
MedStar Health gastroenterologists have training in advanced interventional endoscopy and years of expertise in performing ERCPs. Throughout the MedStar Health system, we handle a high volume of these procedures each year with an excellent success rate.
Advanced technology and techniques.
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Endoscopic ultrasound
An Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) allows your doctor to get high-quality ultrasound images of the inside of your body. An EUS can be used to:
- Detect tumors in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract
- Biopsy tumors in the GI tract, which is when the doctor removes a tissue sample from a suspicious mass and sends it to a pathology lab for analysis and diagnosis
- Stage tumors in the GI tract, which is when the doctor determines the extent of the spread of the cancerous tumor (Stage I, II, III, or IV)
- Assess esophageal, gastric, pancreatic, and rectal cancers
- Detect common bile duct stones
- Aspirate fluid cysts in the GI tract
- Interventional endoscopic ultrasound for treatment of cysts and other GI pathologies
- Marker placement for radiation therapy
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Endoscopy
This is a way of looking inside the body using a flexible tube that has a small camera on the end of it. This instrument is called an endoscope. An endoscope is passed through a natural body opening or a small incision. For gastrointestinal diagnosis, an endoscope may be inserted through the mouth or anus, depending on the area of interest.
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Esophageal manometry
A test used to identify issues with movement and pressure in your esophagus, manometry measures your esophagus’ strength and muscle coordination as you swallow. During the 20 to 30-minute test, your physician inserts a thin, pressure-sensitive tube through your nose and down into your stomach. Your physician then pulls the tube back into your esophagus and asks you to swallow while the pressure of your muscles’ contractions is measured. All manometry studies are analyzed by our gastroenterologists.
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pH and impedance testing
Used to determine if you have reflux disease or if your anti-reflux medication is working properly, this test measures the acid exposure in your esophagus, as well as liquid movement from your stomach to your esophagus. During the exam, your physician inserts a thin tube through your nose and down into your esophagus. The tube stays in place for 24 hours as you go about your normal daily activities. You will have a monitor to record your symptoms, as well as a journal to record food consumption and times when you are lying horizontally. Following 24 hours, the tube is removed and our specialists analyze the results.
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Wireless Bravo pH system
Used to measure the amount of acid in your esophagus, this study allows your physician to evaluate your heartburn and acid reflux symptoms. During the test, your physician temporarily attaches a small capsule (the size of a gel cap) to the wall of your esophagus. The capsule transmits a signal to a small computer that you wear. After about two days, the capsule falls off and passes in your stool, and you return the small computer to our center. Our gastroenterologists then analyze your results.
Colorectal cancer screening is crucial to maintain digestive health.
Colon cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and woman in the United States. However, when detected early, it’s 90% curable. To help safeguard your health, the American Cancer Society recommends people of average risk be screened every 10 years, starting at age 45. Average risk is defined as those who DO NOT have:
- A personal history of colorectal cancer or certain types of polyps
- A family history of colorectal cancer
- A personal history of inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease)
- A confirmed or suspected hereditary colorectal cancer syndrome, such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) or Lynch syndrome (hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer or HNPCC)
- A personal history of getting radiation to the abdomen (belly) or pelvic area to treat a prior cancer
Schedule your colonoscopy now. The procedure is painless, and you’ll be back home the same day. Most health insurance plans cover the screening, so why wait? Get in touch today and gain peace of mind.
Conveniently located near you
MedStar Montgomery Medical Center
18101 Prince Philip Dr.
Olney, MD 20832