Our services

The care team at Novant Health Gastroenterology – Brunswick is dedicated to caring for patients with common and complex gastrointestinal disorders. We understand these issues can affect much more than your body’s ability to digest and process food; they can affect your quality of life, and can lead to serious consequences. Prompt diagnosis and treatments can help you lead a more comfortable and active life, and can stop diseases and disorders from progressing to more serious concerns.

Gastrointestinal conditions we diagnose and treat include:

  • Constipation (infrequent or uncomfortable bowel movements)
  • Chronic diarrhea (consistently watery stools)
  • Diverticular disease (a condition in which pouches in the large intestine become inflamed or infected)
  • Gastritis (an inflammation of the stomach lining)
  • Acid reflux (heartburn; occurs when stomach acid travels up into the esophagus)
  • Peptic ulcers (sores in the lining of the stomach or duodenum)
  • Jaundice (occurs when the liver is not functioning correctly, leading to high bilirubin levels in the blood)
  • Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (excess fat deposits in the liver)
  • Metabolic liver disorders including hemochromatosis (occurs when the body does not eliminate enough iron) and Wilson disease (occurs when the body does not eliminate enough copper)
  • Hepatitis (inflammation of the liver)
  • Celiac disease (an autoimmune disorder in which the small intestine can be damaged by eating gluten)
  • Crohn’s disease (inflammation of the small and sometimes large intestine)
  • Ulcerative colitis (inflammation of the large intestine and rectum)
  • Irritable bowel syndrome (a condition in which a sensitive colon leads to cramps, gas and bloating)
  • Gastroesophageal reflux disease (also called GERD or heartburn; a condition in which stomach acid flows into the esophagus)
  • Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI; a condition in which the body cannot break down and digest food correctly)

Our providers use advanced diagnostic tools and tests to gather the information you need to make informed decisions about your care. These include:

  • Colonoscopy procedures (involves a long, thin tube inserted through the rectum into the colon to both examine the colon and remove tissue)
  • Abdominal ultrasounds and X-rays (noninvasive scans used to visualize structures in the abdomen)
  • Barium enemas and barium swallows (tests that involve ingesting a chalky, white powder that appears white on X-rays to examine the digestive tract)
  • Abdominal CT (CAT) scans (a combination of X-ray and computer technology that creates images of the body)
  • Upper GI endoscopy (also called esophagogastroduodenoscopy; a procedure to examine the esophagus and stomach with a flexible tube inserted through the mouth)
  • Gallbladder and liver scans (tests using a radioactive substance to assess the gallbladder and liver)
  • Sigmoidoscopy (a test to examine the lower third of the large intestine with a thin tube inserted through the rectum)