Understanding Crohn’s Disease

What is Crohn’s disease? Crohn’s disease is a form of chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in which there are patches or segments of inflammation in any portion of the digestive tract from the mouth to the anus. The inflammation in Crohn’s disease is most often...

Understanding Barrett’s Esophagus

What is Barrett’s Esophagus? Barrett’s esophagus is a condition in which the lining of the esophagus changes, becoming more like the lining of the small intestine than the esophagus. This occurs in the area where the esophagus is joined to the stomach. It...

Understanding Bowel Preparation

Understanding Bowel Preparation Before Colonoscopy It is extremely important that your colon be thoroughly cleaned before your colonoscopy. This will let the doctor see any abnormalities, such as colon polyps, during the procedure. Polyps are small growths in the...

ERCP

What is ERCP? Endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography, or ERCP, is a specialized technique used to study the bile ducts, pancreatic duct and gallbladder. Ducts are drainage routes; the drainage channels from the liver are called bile or biliary ducts. The...

Understanding Minor Rectal Bleeding

What are the possible causes of minor rectal bleeding? Hemorrhoids Anal fissures Proctitis (inflammation of the rectum) Polyps Colon or anal cancer Rectal ulcers What is Minor Rectal Bleeding? Minor rectal bleeding refers to the passage of a few drops of bright red...