Our doctors and nurses combine teamwork and a wealth of knowledge with true concern for their patients.

Our Gastroenterology Department offers two suites devoted exclusively to gastrointestinal patients, and a private family waiting area.

Endoscopies
An endoscopy is a test that lets doctors look inside the body. They use an endoscope, a long flexible tube that can be swallowed. It has a camera and light inside it. This allows the doctor to see the inside of the esophagus and stomach as the image is projected on a screen.

While the tube is inside the body, doctors can take samples, or biopsies, of any abnormal looking tissues.

Most patients can choose whether to have an endoscopy while they are awake or after taking a sedative. If patients don't want a sedative, they have the back of their throat sprayed and numbed so it's easier for them to swallow the endoscopy tube.

Other services
A new, exciting procedure is bronchoscopy. This is when doctors use tiny scopes to look inside the lungs, do biopsies and check for tumors. They can use the tubes to brush off cell samples to test for abnormalities.

Fort Loudoun Medical Center uses bronchoscopy technology in a variety of gastrointestinal surgeries, including:

• Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), an examination of the lining of the esophagus, stomach and upper duodenum with a small camera, which is inserted down the throat. Doctors check for inflammation, erosion, tumors, ulcers or anything else abnormal. The scope allows them to perform biopsies, remove polyps and control bleeding.

  An EGD also allows doctors to insert a feeding tube into the patient's stomach when necessary.

• Colonoscopy, inserting a scope in the rectum to view the colon, check for diseases such as cancer, colitis and Crohn's, and treat them.

• Esophageal motility studies, inserting a catheter through the nose into the esophagus to measure the patient's ability to swallow.

• pH studies, inserting a catheter through the nose and esophagus to check the stomach's acid level. These studies let patients track their behavior that sparks acid reflux, and help doctors decide how to treat it.