Gastroenterology at UPMC

UPMC offers diagnostic and therapeutic services for people suffering from gastroesophageal diseases. We employ a multidisciplinary team of specialists engaged in the study of personalized and effective clinical solutions, which take into account the daily needs of individual patients. Among the diseases treated are: gastroesophageal reflux, gastric and duodenal ulcers, and hiatal hernia.

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UPMC offers gastroenterology services in the following facility:

• IRCCS ISMETT – UPMC
• UPMC Salvator Mundi International Hospital.

What Is Gastroenterology?

Gastroenterology is the branch of medicine that deals with disorders and diseases of the digestive system, which includes the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small and large intestine, rectum, and anus. Taken together, this system allows the body to take in food, process it, digest it, and absorb its nutrients. It then eliminates faeces, i.e. waste material composed of non-digestible food residues.

Gastroesophageal diseases can occur at all ages and involve several organs, or only one. Among them, the main ones are:

• Esophageal achalasia: Those who suffer from this disease, also called megaesophagus, have a motor disorder of the valve that is located between the esophagus and stomach, which prevents gastric contents from reaching the stomach. When the valve does not work properly, the esophagus can dilate, with very serious health consequences.
• Hiatal hernia: A condition in which a portion of the stomach protrudes abnormally from the opening of the diaphragm (esophageal diaphragmatic hiatus).
• Inflammatory bowel diseases: Such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease.
• Gastroesophageal reflux: In adults, this can be caused by an impairment of the functioning of the valve located between the esophagus and stomach which, consequently, fails to prevent the ascent of gastric juice towards the mouth. It is manifested by numerous symptoms, including burning or pain in the center of the chest.

Other common gastroesophageal diseases are gastric and duodenal ulcers, gastritis, celiac disease, diverticulitis, and colitis.

Gastroenterology Services at UPMC

UPMC offers world-class professional support to people with a disease or disorder of the digestive or intestinal system. With our team of doctors, you can make specialist visits and undergo the clinical examinations necessary for the diagnosis and therapeutic treatment best suited to your case.

Among the services that you can access are:

• Diagnosis and treatment of achalasia: In both adults and children.
• Gastrointestinal ultrasound: Useful when the patient experiences generic symptoms, such as abdominal pain, or when there is already a diagnosis of gastrointestinal disorder.
• EsophagusGastroDuodenoscopy (EGDS): Commonly called gastroscopy, this examination allows you to analyze the esophagus, stomach and duodenum from the inside.
• Esophageal manometry: To assess the functionality of the esophagus in adults and children.
• 24-hour esophageal pH-Impedancemetry (pH-IM): A type of analysis that allows you to evaluate the nature of symptoms such as regurgitation and chest pain, typical of gastroesophageal reflux.
• Diagnostic digestive endoscopy procedures: These include colonoscopy, rectosigmoidoscopy, and echoendoscopy.
• Operative digestive endoscopy procedures: Such as polypectomies and bleeding control.
• X-ray esophagus-stomach-duodenum: A useful examination, for example, for the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux in adults and children, as well as hiatal hernia.

Who Can Make a Gastroenterological Examination?

The progressive increase in gastroesophageal diseases, from which about 15% of the population suffers (increasingly also in pediatric age), is generally attributable to an unbalanced diet rich in sugars, unhealthy habits such as smoking and alcohol consumption, and obesity. In these cases, a visit to the gastroenterologist can be particularly useful to check the health of the organs that are part of the gastrointestinal tract. It is in fact important not to underestimate those symptoms that may presage the presence of gastrointestinal disorders and diseases, such as, for example:

• Digestive difficulties.
• Pain and burning in the stomach or throat.
• Persistent nausea and vomiting.
• Regurgitation.