A gastroenterologist is a physician who specializes in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of digestive and liver diseases. To be a fully-credentialed gastroenterologist, a physician must complete an additional fellowship training beyond their general internal medicine residency.

At East Cooper GI, our gastroenterologist is certified to be proficient in the performance of safe and effective endoscopic procedures. She is duly licensed in the state of South Carolina and are board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine with subspecialty in Gastroenterology.

Our gastroenterologist not only performs routine colonoscopy, she strives to provide a caring, comprehensive, and state-of-the-art evaluation and treatment of patients with an array of digestive and liver disorders. She also provides convenient office and endoscopy locations easily accessible to patients, especially those in the East Cooper area.

The gastrointestinal, or “GI” tract for short, encompasses the organs related to digestion, nutrition, and metabolism. These organs include the esophagus, stomach, small and large intestines, the pancreas, liver, gallbladder, and bile ducts.

The GI system is important in the overall well-being of the human body. It is often the site of disorders such as abdominal pain, inflammation, ulcers, internal bleeding, obstruction, infection, and even cancer.

A gastroenterologist is a physician who has specialized knowledge and skill to care for you in the event that you have a GI tract disorder.

Our gastroenterologist is able to help patients with the following gastrointestinal and liver conditions:

General gastroenterology:

• Abdominal pain
• Achalasia
• Barrett’s esophagus
• Bloating
• Cancers of the esophagus, stomach and small bowel
• Celiac disease (gluten sensitivity)
• Clostridium difficile infection
• Colitis (inflammation of the colon)
• Colon cancer screening
• Constipation
• Crohn’s disease
• Diarrhea
• Diverticulitis
• Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing)
• Esophagitis (inflammation of the esophagus)
• Fecal incontinence
• Gastroenteritis
• Gastrointestinal bleeding
• Gastroparesis
• Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (heartburn)
• H. pylori infection
• Hemorrhoids
• Indigestion
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Malabsorption
• Microscopic colitis
• Nausea and vomiting
• Peptic ulcer disease
• Stomach ulcers
• Ulcerative colitis
• Unexplained weight loss

Pancreas & Biliary conditions:

• Gallstones
• Pancreas cancer
• Pancreatitis (acute and chronic)
• Pancreatic cysts

Hepatology:

• Abnormal liver tests
• Alcoholic liver disease
• Ascites
• Autoimmune hepatitis
• Cirrhosis of the liver
• Drug-induced liver injury
• Esophageal varices
• Fatty liver disease
• Hemochromatosis
• Jaundice
• Liver cysts
• Liver cancer
• Liver failure
• Portal hypertension
• Wilson’s disease

Our gastroenterologist is certified and experienced in the safe and effective performance of the following procedures:

• Standard gastrointestinal procedures:
• Colonoscopy with polypectomy and biopsy
• Capsule endoscopy
• EGD / Upper endoscopy
• Esophageal variceal banding
• Flexible sigmoidoscopy
• Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube
• Small bowel enteroscopy
• Esophageal dilation

• Liver biopsy
• Paracentesis

• Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) with fine needle aspiration