Gastroenterology of the Rockies provides colon Cancer screenings and treats patients with swallowing difficulty, irritable bowel syndrome, reflux hypersensitivity, and heartburn. It also performs Endoscopic procedures to diagnose and treat pancreatic disease.

Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection (ESD)

ESD is an advanced therapeutic endoscopy that allows the resection (removal) of tumors and growths in your digestive tract (esophagus, stomach, small intestine, colon, and rectum). It’s performed while you’re receiving a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy.

During ESD, long and flexible tubular instruments called endoscopes are inserted into your digestive tract. A particular solution is injected to elevate the area affected by the tumor or growth. It gives doctors a safe and clear workspace to remove the growth with specialized electrosurgical knives.

ESD is used for many conditions, including early-stage esophagus and stomach cancers, and it offers a cure for some patients. It’s also used for more aggressive cancers resistant to other treatment methods like endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR). Because of the advanced nature of the procedure, ESD is only offered at specific high-volume centers, such as Gastroenterology Of The Rockies, with dedicated gastroenterologists with extensive training and experience. It’s also more complex than EMR and takes twice as long to perform.

Laparoscopic Endoscopic Cooperative Surgery (LECS)

The surgical approach via the intraluminal or intraperitoneal pathway, subsequent precise resection with oncologic principles, and physiological closure of the defect are vital concepts of LECS.[3] The procedure was initially developed by Hiki and applied to treating gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) with function preservation.

In classic LECS, the periphery of the tumor is marked using argon plasma coagulation, and glycerin mixed with indigo blue is injected into the submucosal layer. Then, an intentional perforation is made, and the specimen is removed through this hole. It involves the risk of peritoneal dissemination of the tumor and contamination of gastric juice.

To avoid this, several modified LECS techniques have been developed. They include inverted LECS, nonexposed endoscopic wall-inversion surgery (NEWS), laparoscopy-assisted endoscope-assisted resection of neoplasia with a non-exposure technique (CLEAN-NET), and closed laparoscopic and Endoscopic Cooperative Surgery for epithelial neoplasm with sealed EFTR (closed LECS). Among these techniques, the CLEAN-NET procedure is unique because the appropriate resection line can be determined from the serosal side.

Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, or ERCP, is a specialist method for examining the pancreatic and bile channels. This procedure uses an X-ray and an endoscope–a long, flexible, lighted tube–to examine these organs. Your gastroenterologist will put the lubricated endoscope into your mouth and throat, then down your esophagus, stomach, and the first part of your small intestine (duodenum). Your doctor will inject a dye into the ducts after reaching the bile duct entrance to make them visible on X-ray imaging.

It will allow the gastroenterologist to view the ducts and any obstructions or stones. Your gastroenterologist can then perform procedures to widen the ducts or remove a blockage.

Before undergoing an ERCP, your doctor will give you specific instructions. Eight hours of fasting are required before the test, and you must disclose all of your current medications to your gastroenterologist, especially those that may influence blood coagulation or interact with sedatives. You must arrange a ride home after the procedure since you will be given a sedative.

GI Genius(tm)

As the American Cancer Society lowers the recommended colon cancer screening age to 45, doctors in Colorado are using new technology to spot more precancerous polyps. During a colonoscopy, the GI Genius(tm) system helps identify colorectal polyps that may become cancer by analyzing videos inside the digestive tract. It picks up 14% more precancerous polyps than a doctor can do alone.

GI Genius is the first artificial intelligence system approved by the FDA to highlight suspicious lesions during a colonoscopy. It’s being used at Intermountain Healthcare, where it’s currently installed in four locations to help doctors find and remove precancerous colon polyps early.

The device is based on Cosmo’s patented artificial intelligence (AI) lesion detection algorithm, which has been shown to increase the rate of polyp removal and reduce the overall risk of colorectal cancer.

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