Medical Services • Gastroenterology Services

At the Gastroenterology Center, you’ll find the most technologically advanced facility in Illinois—designed for you and physicians. The latest technologies provide you with faster, safer and more accurate diagnoses as well as quicker recovery times. For physicians, the Center provides the first and only teaching gallery for GI procedures in the state.

Less invasive and non-surgical procedures for accurate diagnoses, safety and comfort including:

• Very small, pill-sized cameras that when swallowed, painlessly transmit digital images from the digestive tract
• A capsule that monitors and reports acid levels in the esophagus without a catheter
• Virtual colonoscopies to check for colon cancer
• Safer, less invasive alternatives to exploratory surgery for removing tissue samples
• Advanced procedures to diagnose and stage cancers of the gastrointestinal tract
• New non-surgical treatments to reduce risks of developing esophageal cancer
• Non-surgical treatment of diseases of the pancreas and bile duct
• Minimally invasive treatment of superficial gastrointestinal cancers

Putting the latest medical advances to work for you

The new Gastroenterology Center is continually investing in the latest technology to ensure that you receive the best and least invasive treatments possible. These advances include:

• Two interventional suites with digital fluoroscopy
• Two endoscopic ultrasound systems used to diagnose and stage cancers of the gastrointestinal tract and lung
• BARRX HALO³⁶⁰ Ablation System – innovative, non-surgical treatment for Barrett’s Esophagus, a precancerous condition affecting the lining of the esophagus. BARRX Therapy uses radiofrequency electrodes to remove or destroy pre-cancerous cells, thus reducing the risk of developing esophageal cancer
• Nine procedure rooms equipped with state-of-the-art digital imaging systems with high definition technology that are less invasive and more comfortable method for diagnosing abnormalities within the digestive system

Other advanced medical technologies for less invasive and safer treatments include:

• CyberKnife® Stereotactic Radiosurgery System (SRS) – targeted high-dose radiation without surgery
• Advanced Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) – diagnose and treat gallstones, and conditions of the bile ducts and pancreas

Only Gastroenterology Teaching Gallery in Illinois

NCH provides the only teaching gallery in Illinois where medical professionals come from around the country to learn advanced procedures. The state-of-the-art teaching gallery transmits live images around the world, so clinicians can continue to advance the science of healthcare including:

• Advanced endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography to diagnose and treat conditions of the gallbladder, bile ducts, pancreas and liver
• The SpyGlass System to facilitate physicians access and visualize the bile duct for diagnostic and therapeutic applications
• Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) with fine needle aspiration for diagnosis and staging of tumors of the GI tract and lung
• Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) guided procedures for pseudocyst drainage, plexus block and neurolysis
• Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) allows removal of large polyps or cancerous lesions that have not broken through the muscle layer
• HALO Ablation Therapy using the BARRX HALO³⁶⁰ Ablation System to destroy abnormal tissue in the esophagus and reduce the risk of esophageal cancer
• Percutaneous gastrostomy and jejunostomy for placement of feeding tubes