Gastroenterology hospital in Ghaziabad

How does the Digestive System Work?

The digestive system provides nutrition to the body by breaking down food.

• The digestion process begins in the mouth with chewing, which breaks down large pieces of food into smaller particles. 

• The tongue mixes food with saliva and enzymes that begin breaking down some components. 

• The teeth grind up the food into even smaller pieces, increasing the surface area of each piece so that more enzymes can act on it.

• After chewing, swallowing involves many muscles working together to push food into the Oesophagus. 

• The Oesophagus delivers food to the stomach, mixing with acid and churning by peristalsis (muscle contractions) until it becomes chyme (a semiliquid mixture). 

• Chyme reaches the small intestine, where nutrients absorb into the bloodstream through villi (tiny projections). 

• Finally, waste products move through the large intestine, which absorbs water and returns solid waste, expelled through the anus as faeces.

Common Gastrointestinal Conditions

• Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is stomach acid travelling back into the Oesophagus, causing heartburn, chest pain and difficulty swallowing.

• Peptic Ulcer Disease causes the stomach or duodenum to become inflamed and irritated, causing symptoms such as heartburn, pain in the upper abdomen, bloating, burping or vomiting of stomach acid (sometimes called acid indigestion), and loss of appetite. 

• Gastrointestinal (GI) Bleeding is a common symptom of several serious illnesses of the stomach or intestines, including ulcers, tumours, and Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

• Inflammatory Bowel Disease refers to Crohn's disease and Ulcerative Colitis, types of chronic inflammatory disorders that affect the gastrointestinal tract. They can cause abdominal pain, diarrhoea, fatigue, and weight loss.

• The acute liver is the sudden onset of severe liver dysfunction, often following a viral infection. It is life-threatening and needs immediate medical attention to prevent fatal complications.

• Colitis is a disease of the large intestine. It is a result of infection, medications, or autoimmune disorders. It may present as diarrhoea, abdominal pain or cramping, or bleeding from the rectum.

• Liver Malignancy is when the liver becomes cancerous. It can result from various factors, including viruses and alcohol use. Liver malignancies can be benign or malignant, depending on their severity and whether they have spread to other body parts.

• Gastrointestinal Malignancy is a type of cancer that occurs in the digestive or gastrointestinal tract. It can occur anywhere from the mouth to the rectum and colon, including the Oesophagus, stomach, small intestine and large intestine. Visit Manipal Hospitals to consult with the best doctors.

Diagnostic Facilities

• Colonoscopy

A colonoscopy examines the inside of the colon. The doctor inserts a colonoscope (flexible tube) into the rectum. It has lighted channels to see what is happening inside the digestive tract and collect tissue samples from diseased areas.

• ERCP

Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) uses an endoscope to visualise the biliary tract and pancreas. It diagnoses and treats problems such as gallstones, pancreatitis, and pancreatic cancer and allows doctors to examine the bile and pancreatic ducts. 

• OGD - Oesophago-Gastro Duodenoscopy

OGD (Oesophago-Gastro Duodenoscopy) diagnoses various conditions of the digestive system. A flexible tube goes through the mouth and stomach into the duodenum (the first part of the small intestine), where it takes samples to diagnose conditions such as Ulcers, Cancer and Inflammation.

Treatments

• Gallbladder Stones Surgery

Gallbladder stones are small deposits of minerals that form in the Gallbladder, mainly formed from calcium, but other types can contain uric acid, cholesterol and fatty acids.

Gallbladder stones can cause pain in the upper right of the abdomen or back. They can also cause nausea and vomiting as well as fever and chills.

The treatment uses a small incision near the navel's abdominal wall to remove the stones.

• Appendix Surgery

Appendix Surgery removes the Appendix, a small tube-shaped pouch connected to the large intestine. It can become inflamed and infected, which can lead to appendicitis. Symptoms of appendicitis include abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, fever, and loss of appetite. If left untreated, the Appendix can rupture, causing infection throughout the body. Visit Manipal Hospitals, the best multi-speciality hospital in Ghaziabad for treatment.

• Rectal Prolapse Surgery

Rectal prolapse occurs when the rectal wall becomes weakened, causing the rectum to push through the anus, causing symptoms such as pain, bleeding, and discomfort. Surgery may be required to repair the damage done by rectal prolapse.

The procedure involves closing off the area of weakness in the pelvic floor muscles so they can no longer push out through the anus.

• Splenectomy

Splenectomy removes the Spleen, a small organ that sits under the rib cage on the left side of the abdomen. It has many functions, including fighting germs, removing old red blood cells, and storing blood platelets.

Splenectomy treats certain types of cancer or autoimmune disorders as part of treatment for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), and Vasculitis.

• Stapled Haemorrhoidectomy

Stapled hemorrhoidectomy cuts haemorrhoids out of the anus to remove the piles, causing pain, bleeding and irritation.

The procedure usually requires only local anaesthesia and is less invasive than other surgical treatments for internal haemorrhoids because it does not involve creating an opening in the anal canal or removing any muscles around the anus.