Capsule enteroscopy is a fairly recently developed technique in which the small intestine is imaged. The small intestine begins just past the stomach and ends in the colon or large bowel. Its length varies but can be as long as nine feet. Prior to this procedure, camera images of the entire small bowel were possible only during surgical operations. This technique is non-invasive and is done as an outpatient. It employs a pill-sized disposable camera which is swallowed by the patient...

Colonoscopy is the endoscopic examination of the colon and the distal part of the small bowel with a CCD camera or a fiber optic camera on a flexible tube passed through the anus. It may provide a visual diagnosis (e.g. ulceration, polyps) and grants the opportunity for biopsy or removal of suspected lesions. Colonoscopy can remove polyps as small as one millimetre or less. Once polyps are removed, they can be studied with the aid of a microscope to determine if they are precancerous or not. Colonoscopy is similar to, but not the same as, sigmoidoscopy—the difference being related to which parts of the colon each can examine. A colonoscopy allows an examination of the entire colon (measuring four to five feet in length). A sigmoidoscopy allows an examination of the distal portion (final two feet) of the colon, which may be sufficient because benefits to colonoscopy (cancer survival) have been limited to the distal portion of the colon.

Colorectal (large bowel) cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the inner lining of the colon or rectum. Together, the colon and rectum make up the large bowel or large intestine. The large intestine is the last segment of the digestive system (the esophagus, stomach, and small intestine are the first three sections). The large bowel's main job is to reabsorb water from the contents of the intestine so that solid waste can be expelled into the toilet. The first several feet of the large intestine is the colon and the last 6 inches is the rectum...

Crohn's disease, also known as regional enteritis, is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that may affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract from mouth to anus, causing a wide variety of symptoms. It primarily causes abdominal pain, diarrhea (which may be bloody if inflammation is at its worst), vomiting (can be continuous), or weight loss, but may also cause complications outside the gastrointestinal tract such as skin rashes, arthritis, inflammation of the eye, tiredness, and lack of concentration.

Poorly understood interactions between environmental, immunological and bacterial factors play a role in causing Crohn's disease. This results in a chronic inflammatory disorder, in which the body's immune system attacks the gastrointestinal tract possibly directed at a microbial antigens. There is evidence of a genetic link to Crohn's disease, putting individuals with siblings afflicted with the disease at higher risk. Males and females are equally affected. Smokers are two times more likely to develop Crohn's disease than nonsmokers. Crohn's disease affects between 400,000 and 600,000 people in North America. Crohn's disease tends to present initially in the teens and twenties, with another peak incidence in the fifties to seventies, although the disease can occur at any age. There is no known pharmaceutical or surgical cure for Crohn's disease. Treatment options are restricted to controlling symptoms, maintaining remission, and preventing relapse.

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is a technique that combines the use of endoscopy and fluoroscopy to diagnose and treat certain problems of the biliary or pancreatic ductal systems. Through the endoscope, the physician can see the inside of the stomach and duodenum, and inject dyes into the ducts in the biliary tree and pancreas so they can be seen on X-rays. ERCP is used primarily to diagnose and treat conditions of the bile ducts, including gallstones, inflammatory strictures (scars), leaks (from trauma and surgery), and cancer. ERCP can be performed for diagnostic and therapeutic reasons, although the development of safer and relatively non-invasive investigations such as magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) and endoscopic ultrasound has meant that ERCP is now rarely performed without therapeutic intent.

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) or echo-endoscopy is a medical procedure in endoscopy (insertion of a probe into a hollow organ) is combined with ultrasound to obtain images of the internal organs in the chest and abdomen. It can be used to visualize the wall of these organs, or to look at adjacent structures. Combined with Doppler imaging, nearby blood vessels can also be evaluated. Endoscopic ultrasonography is most commonly used in the upper digestive tract and in the respiratory system. The procedure is performed by gastroenterologists or pulmonologists who have had extensive advanced training. For the patient, the procedure feels almost identical to the endoscopic procedure without the ultrasound part, unless ultrasound-guided biopsy of deeper structures is performed.

An esophageal motility study (EMS) or esophageal manometry is a test to assess motor function of the Upper Esophageal Sphincter (UES), Esophageal body and Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES).

Flexible sigmoidoscopy is a procedure which allows the gastroenterologist to view the rectum and sigmoid colon, the last portions of the colon. A thin flexible camera called a sigmoidoscope is used for this test and it typically takes about five minutes. Although some cramping is sometimes experienced during the examination, sedation is rarely needed. This procedure helps the gastroenterologist identify and sometimes treat problems specific to this area of the colon such as hemorrhoids, infections and rectal pain. Although an instrument similar to a colonoscope is used, this procedure is not equivalent to or accurate as colonoscopy for colon cancer screening. Moreover, bowel cleansing in preparation for sigmoidoscopy is not as thorough as for colonoscopy.

In medicine (gastroenterology), esophagogastroduodenoscopy is a diagnostic endoscopic procedure that visualizes the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract up to the duodenum. It is considered a minimally invasive procedure since it does not require an incision into one of the major body cavities and does not require any significant recovery after the procedure (unless sedation or anesthesia has been used). A sore throat is also common.

Nutritional therapy for hemorrhagic gastro-intestinal diseases is aimed at protecting and to accelerating the cure of hemorrhagic lesion(s) with rapid recovery of general condition. The accurate judgment for fluid therapy and contents, volume and timing of dietetic therapy is very difficult. However, it should always be considered since excellent nutritional therapy influences prognosis of hemorrhagic digestive diseases to a great degree for its medication.

Virtual colonoscopy (VC, also called CT Colonography) is a medical imaging procedure which uses x-rays and computers to produce two- and three-dimensional images of the colon (large intestine) from the lowest part, the rectum, all the way to the lower end of the small intestine and display them on a screen. The procedure is used to diagnose colon and bowel disease, including polyps, diverticulosis and cancer. VC is performed via computed tomography (CT), sometimes called a CAT scan, or with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).