Geography, not patient need, driving endoscopic ultrasound utilization

Before the advent of endoscopic ultrasound, the only way to determine the severity of pancreatic cancer was through surgery. Today, the minimally invasive procedure is used to stage thousands of patients per year, often part of their pre-surgical preparation. A group of researchers from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health found patients who…

Advanced Digestive Endoscopy Practice and Safety

What are intestinal parasites?

Intestinal parasites are organisms that live and feed off another organism. In humans, they can affect the person’s gastrointestinal system. There are two main types of parasites – the helminths and the protozoa. Helminths are those worms with many cells. In the United States, the most common examples of helminths are tapeworms, roundworms, and pinworms.…

Endoscopy

The use of a long, flexible tube with a camera at its tip to peer inside a patient — has been used to help doctors assess and diagnose disorders of the digestive tract. Now interventional advances in endoscopy are making it possible not only to see what’s going on, but to treat the disorder —…

Exciting Advancements in GI Technology

Since medicine is an ever-evolving science, it’s not hard to imagine that its various branches are often the subject of many technological breakthroughs. In particular, gastrointestinal endoscopy has had many exciting advancements and innovations in these last few years. They are a combination of better technology, streamlined procedures and a mix of both, with newer…

How To Cleanse Your Colon

After the stomach breaks your food into miniscule pieces for the small intestine to easily absorb, all the leftovers will move into your large intestine, also known as the colon. Why Clean the Colon? Let’s picture this out: every cell in your body processes the food that you eat in order to gain energy. The…

Gastric Balloon in a Pill Helps Patients Lose Weight Without Surgery or Endoscopy

A new gastric balloon that can be swallowed like a pill and then filledwhile in the stomach, helped patients lose more than 37 percent oftheir excess weight over four months, according to new researchpresented here at ObesityWeek 2015, the largest international eventfocused on the basic science, clinical application and prevention andtreatment of obesity. The weeklong…