Rapides Regional Medical Center leads the region with a complete array of resources for diagnosing and treating gastrointestinal and liver disorders. Our fellowship-trained, board-certified specialists offer advanced gastroenterology, hepatology (liver) and therapeutic endoscopy services.
We treat adult patients with common and complex gastrointestinal problems, and offer a full range of state-of-the-art diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.
Areas of expertise include:
- Anemia due to bleeding
- Abdominal pain
- Heartburn
- Diarrhea and constipation
- Blood in the stool
- Colon screening with colonoscopy
- Nausea and vomiting
- Diseases and disorders of the bile ducts and gallbladder, not excluding gallstones
- Celiac disease (gluten sensitive enteropathy)
- Cirrhosis of the liver
- Hepatitis
- Colon cancer prevention and screening
- Colon polyp detection and removal
- Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) for assessment of gallstones, gastrointestinal cancer diagnosis and staging, and biliary and pancreatic cancers
- ERCP to evaluate and treat common bile duct stones, bile duct abnormalities, biliary diseases, and pancreatic duct abnormalities and pancreatic disorders
- Esophageal disease, including motility (swallowing) disorders, gastrosophageal reflux disease (GERD), Barrett's esophagus and esophageal cancer
- Fatty liver disease (NAFLD and NASH)
- Gastritis
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Gastrointestinal bleeding
- Hepatitis (Hepatitis C; Hepatitis B; and Autoimmune Hepatitis)
- Inflammatory bowel disease-Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
- Interventional endoscopy for gallstone removal and treatment of biliary and pancreatic strictures
- Pancreatic cancer evaluation
- Pancreatitis
- Peptic ulcer disease and H. pylori
Procedures we offer include:
- Upper endoscopy (EGD)
- Colonoscopy
- Polypectomy
- Esophagus dilation
- Banding esophageal varices
- Argon plasma coagulation
- Capsule endoscopy
- Esophageal motility
- Single balloon enteroscopy
- ERCP
- EUS
At our advanced endoscopy center, our highly skilled and experienced medical professionals specialize in advanced procedures such as ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) and EUS.
ERCP is a specialized diagnostic test that uses an endoscope to examine the bile ducts, pancreatic duct, and gallbladder to diagnose and treat various conditions. This procedure is generally used to diagnose and treat bile duct obstructions, remove gallstones, and treat pancreatic and biliary cancers.
RRMC is the only hospital in the region using EUS combining endoscopy and ultrasound to help doctors evaluate and diagnose conditions in and outside the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, such as the pancreas and liver. EUS is a specialized diagnostic tool using sound waves to create highly detailed images of the digestive system's internal organs, such as the pancreas, bile ducts and liver. This procedure aids in the diagnosis of many common conditions and can be used to diagnose and stage gastrointestinal cancers, for example, bile duct and pancreatic cancer.
Our advanced endoscopy center has state-of-the-art equipment maximizing the accuracy and effectiveness of these procedures. With our dedicated and highly skilled medical team, we are confident we can provide you with the best care possible for your gastrointestinal issues.