Gastrointestinal

Specialists in Gastroenterology & Nutrition:  We are trusted Specialists in evaluating and managing your Digestive Health.  Our Centers provide you with:

Our main goal is to educate our patients regarding the management of their health.  We therefore spend “time” teaching our patients how to best manage their Digestive System to prevent illness. In addition, we provide our patients with the following Preventive
Health resources:

We remind all our patients of the importance of our Digestive System by noting the following facts:

Our Specialists in Stomach, Colon, Liver and Digestive Health provide a full range of Diagnostic and Treatment services, including:  

Here are some of the common reasons that patients come to see our Specialists for help in managing problems of the Esophagus, Stomach and Small Bowel:  Our Specialist will assist you in interpreting your symptoms and will make recommendations for further evaluation and treatment:

  • stroke victims
  • esophageal strictures
  • cancer patients
  • esophageal resection
  • post-op patients
  • Other ‘feeding difficulty’

Here are some of the common reasons that patients come to see our Specialists for help in managing problems of the Colon or Large Intestine and Rectum. Our Specialist will assist you in interpreting your symptoms and will make recommendations for further evaluation and treatment:

  1. Change in bowel habits (either new loose bowels or new difficulty passing stools)
  2. First Colon Cancer screening: any patient over age 50 (male or female)
  3. New onset Rectal bleeding or new findings of Hemoccult positive stool
  4. Persistent Rectal bleeding – on the toilet paper or in the toilet bowl
  5. Family History of Colon Cancer - (parent or multiple relatives)
  6. Family History of Multiple Colon Polyps
  7. Personal history of Colon Cancer with previous treatment
  8. ‘Familial Polyposis syndrome’ (history of several children or adults family who have had colon cancer or colon resected)
  9. Intractable Diarrhea (persistent)
  10.  Abnormal Barium Enema or  abnormal CT scan showing a lesion in the colon
  11.  Chronic Iron Deficiency Anemia of uncertain cause and screening X-rays negative
  12.  Ulcerative Colitis - new onset for ‘colon mapping’
  13.  Crohn’s disease - new onset for ‘colon mapping’
  14.  Inflammatory Bowel  Disease of greater than 10 years duration  - need to do periodic “mapping biopsies” to check for Colon Cancer
  15.  Therapeutic Colonoscopy to:
    1. Locate source of lower GI bleeding (persistent bleeding)
    2. Treat persistent lower GI bleeding (AVM’s, varices, colon cancer, IBD-ulcers)
    3. Dilate Colon Strictures (anastomotic, diverticular)
    4. Remove foreign bodies from rectum

Here are some of the common reasons that patients come to see our Specialists for help in managing problems of the Gall Bladder, Pancreas and Liver:  Our Specialist will assist you in interpreting your symptoms and will make recommendations for further evaluation and treatment:

  1. Jaundice of uncertain etiology (Alkaline Phosphatase is usually elevated in Obstructive jaundice)
  2. Gallstone disease with and elevated Temperature or an elevated WBC
  3. Common Bile Duct Stones  or stones in the Hepatic Ducts or Cystic Duct on CT scan or imaging studies
  4. Strictures of the bile ducts, hepatic ducts or pancreatic ducts on CT scan – Initial investigation
  5. Mass lesions in the Pancreas, Liver, Gallbladder or area of the porta hepatis
  6. Elevated serum Amylase or Lipase with no clear etiology – look for cause
  7. Chronic Pancreatitis with unresponsive pain – to look for strictures, cancer, masses 
  8. Laparoscopic surgery - Surgeon requests a check for stones in the CBD prior to surgery
  9. Biopsy of masses of small bowel
  10. Obtain brush Cytology of the Bile Ducts and Pancreatic Ducts
  11. Therapeutic ERCP to perform the following:

Dr. Layne and our Specialists conduct classes in NUTRITION AND WEIGHT CONTROL for Adult patients with MORBID OBESITY and for patients who have had (or are being screened for) GASTRIC BYPASS or “LAP-BAND” surgery.