Advancements in modern technology have resulted in the development of gastrointestinal endoscopy. These procedures allow your doctor to examine your digestive tract with a flexible video instrument called a "scope". This instrument allows your doctor to examine the inside of your esophagus, stomach, portions of the small intestine and the colon. This enables your doctor to accurately diagnose and treat gastrointestinal diseases and disorders. These "scopes" can also be used to take biopsies (tissue samples), remove polyps which are growths in the digestive tract, treat bleeding from ulcers or other causes and dilate or stretch narrowed areas called strictures. Some of the more common conditions diagnosed and treated are gastroesophageal reflux, peptic ulcer disease, colon polyps, diverticulosis and inflammatory bowel disease (IBS), Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. The most common procedures performed at our Endoscopy Centers are:

• An Upper GI Endoscopy or Gastroscopy, which is also called an esophago-gastroduodenoscopy (EGD), allows your doctor to visually examine your upper gastrointestinal tract. This procedure uses a scope which is entered through the mouth to examine your esophagus, stomach and duodenum. Biopsies (tissue samples) may be obtained to detect tumors or infections such as Helicobacter pylori, which is often associated with peptic ulcer disease. This procedure is used to find the cause of bleeding, dyspepsia (indigestion), heartburn, swallowing problems, nausea, vomiting, upper abdominal pain and other conditions.

• An Esophageal Dilatation is performed when a narrowing in the esophagus causes difficulty swallowing. The narrowing, or stricture, is dilated, or stretched, using increasing sizes of rigid tubes or balloons.

• A Colonoscopy allows your doctor to closely examine your colon (large intestine). This procedure uses a scope which is inserted through the rectum and is used to detect the causes of rectal bleeding, constipation, diarrhea, lower abdominal pain, and other conditions. During this procedure, biopsies may be obtained if necessary and polyps can be removed which is the first step in preventing the occurrence of colon cancer.

• A Flexible Sigmoidoscopy is similar to colonoscopy, but only looks at the last portion of your colon. It is a limited examination of the anus, rectum, and sigmoid, often used for less serious symptoms.