Advanced Endoscopy

Also known as cholangioscopy, pancreatoscopy or intraductal endoscopy, this procedure allows us to view inside your biliary or pancreatic ducts. We may combine cholangioscopy or pancreatoscopy with endoscopic ultrasound to better visualize this complex system. This procedure enables us to diagnose or treat:

• Bile duct strictures (narrowing of the bile ducts)
• Bile duct stones
• Bile duct cancer 
• Gallstones
• Pancreatic duct blockages or stones
• Sclerosing cholangitis (narrowing and blockage of the liver ducts)

This procedure uses a special laser light to detect microscopic changes in your digestive tract lining. Our specialists examine the images pixel by pixel to diagnose tiny changes at the cellular level.

Our specialists perform endoscopic ablation therapy to treat Barrett’s esophagus and other conditions, including dysplasias (precancerous growths) in other parts of the GI tract. We provide the full range of ablation techniques, which include:

• Cryotherapy (cold)
• Photodynamic therapy (laser light) 
• Radiofrequency ablation (RFA)

During this procedure, our team uses endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) to deliver medication directly into the celiac plexus (group of nerves in your abdomen). An endoscopic celiac plexus block can relieve abdominal pain from pancreatic cancer and some cases of chronic pancreatitis.

During EMR, we use an endoscope and special tools to remove abnormal tissue from various diseases, including:

• Barrett’s esophagus
• Dysplasias
• Polyps

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) uses an endoscope with an ultrasound probe to diagnose and treat various diseases. Our experts often combine EUS with other endoscopy procedures to collect detailed images of almost all areas of the GI tract, including the liver, bile and pancreatic ducts. 

With EUS our therapeutic endoscopists can perform the following procedures but are not limited to:

• Diagnose various conditions
• Deliver medications directly into the GI tract 
• Determine the location and stage (extent) of GI cancers 
• Examine the stomach, intestines, gallbladder and pancreas for signs of diseases
• Guide a biopsy needle 
• Sample/take biopsies of masses outside the GI tract

ERCP combines endoscopy and X-rays to produce images of your bile and pancreatic ducts. We perform a high number of ERCPs with excellent outcomes. This test enables us to diagnose and treat a variety of pancreatic and biliary disorders, including:

• Bile duct diseases, including stones, strictures (narrowings) and infections
• Pancreatitis (acute and chronic)

ESD is an advanced endoscopic procedure for removing GI tumors-. Our team also uses ESD to remove tumors in the deeper layers of your GI tract that would otherwise require surgery. We are one of the few centers in the U.S. to provide ESD, which requires a high level of skill and experience. We can even remove some tumors from the fat or muscle layers of the intestines using ESD with submucosal tunneling endoscopic resection (STER).

We use this technique to treat:

• Barrett’s esophagus
• Early stage colon cancers
• Esophageal cancer 
• Small intestine cancer
• Stomach cancer

The G-POEM procedure treats gastroparesis by cutting the pylorus muscle (muscle that controls the movement of food from your stomach to your small intestine). This procedure is less invasive than surgery, and you recover faster than with open or laparoscopic surgery.

POEM is a procedure that treats achalasia and other swallowing disorders. POEM provides results similar to achalasia surgery, but you have a faster recovery, can return to your regular diet and have no visible scars.

Z-POEM allows us to treat an upper esophageal diverticulum (outpouching in the esophagus), which can cause difficulty swallowing. You have no outside incisions

The single-session EDGE procedure allows us to treat bile duct and pancreas disease in patients who have had Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (RYGB). Other techniques, such as ERCP, are often not possible because the RYGB surgery changes your digestive tract.

This specialized technique allows us to place a stent in your stomach and clear bile duct blockages in one procedure. We are among the few centers in the U.S. offering this leading-edge technique.

This endoscopic procedure takes 30 minutes or less, and most people go home the same day. It works by limiting your food intake and can be used to improve the safety of future bariatric surgery.

Our surgeons use an endoscope to stitch your stomach into a narrower size. This procedure helps you limit your food intake.