Regionally Recognized for Small Bowel Disease Treatment
To schedule an appointment or learn more, please call: 504-464-8500
Ochsner Medical Center – Kenner is a regionally recognized hospital for referral of patients with Small Bowel Disease. This facility is equipped with capsule endoscopy as well as all techniques for DAE including double-balloon enteroscopy, single-balloon enteroscopy and spiral enteroscopy. Through experience with small bowel tumors and other uncommon intestinal conditions, the support staff and physicians at Ochsner Medical Center - Kenner have a recognized expertise in treatment of various small bowel disorders including specialized imaging and surgery. Ochsner Medical Center - Kenner is also home to the nationally recognized Neuroendocrine Tumor Program. This exceptional multispecialty program provides treatment for carcinoid tumors, the most common small bowel tumor.
Small Bowel Intestinal Disorders are uncommon. Through experience with these disorders, Dr. Daniel Raines, a Board Certified Gastroenterologist, and his team have become proficient in the management of various small bowel conditions such as:
- Obscure Gastrointestinal Bleeding - In some cases, patients may experience bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract which is unknown in origin despite evaluation by standard endoscopy (upper endoscopy and colonoscopy). Bleeding in most of these cases is related to a bleeding source in the small intestine. At our center, patients with suspected bleeding from the small intestine may be evaluated by a pill-camera which takes pictures of the small intestine (capsule endoscopy) or by a special endoscope which is capable of examining the entire small intestine (device-assisted enteroscopy). Our experience in evaluating and treating these cases allows us to effectively diagnose and treat a variety of bleeding sources in the intestine by different techniques.
- Bleeding Vascular Lesions of the Small Intestine (including angioectasias or “AVM’s”)
- Celiac Disease - Celiac disease is a common autoimmune disease triggered in genetically predisposed individuals by the ingestion of gluten, a protein component of wheat, rye and barley. Celiac disease was once considered a rare malabsorptive disorder of children, but is now recognized to be a common disease affecting approximately 1% of the population. Patients experiencing symptoms of diarrhea combined with abdominal discomfort may suffer from this common condition. As a small bowel specialty center, our team is experienced in the evaluation and management of patients with celiac disease including those with complicated or unusual presentations. For more information on celiac disease, see the Celiac Disease Foundation website.
- Tumors of the Small Intestine
- Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT) - HHT, also known as Osler-Weber-Rendu syndrome, is a relatively common but not always recognized vascular disorder which is associated with bleeding from the small intestine. HHT is characterized by multi-system telangiectasias, which are small vascular malformations which are prone to bleeding. HHT often presents with recurrent nosebleeds or gastrointestinal blood loss related due to telangiectasias or, in some cases, symptoms related to arteriovenous malformations including the lungs, liver or central nervous system. Patients with a history of recurrent bleeding from the small intestine related to HHT may be candidates for endoscopic or medical therapy to prevent future bleeding episodes. For more information on this disorder, see the HHT Foundation International website.
- Intestinal Polyposis Syndromes including:
- Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome-PJS - Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) is an inherited genetic disorder that results in the formation of hamartomatous polyps in the gastrointestinal tract, mucocutaneous pigmentation and an increased risk of gastrointestinal and other cancers. In many cases, patients with PJS develop large polyps in the small intestine which may result in obstruction of the intestine or bleeding. Removal of these polyps in the past has required repeated surgeries. However, surgery may often be avoided these polyps can be removed using our balloon enteroscopy equipment. Our team follows a number of patients who have been diagnosed with this disorder for management of small bowel polyps as well as specialized screening for early cancers.
- Familial Adenomatous Polyposis-FAP - Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is an inherited genetic syndrome associated with mutations in the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene. This rare disease occurs in approximately 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 30,000. It is known that patients with FAP have a significantly increased lifetime risk of developing cancers and precancerous polyps of the gastrointestinal tract. Patients diagnosed with FAP should be followed by a provider experienced with this disorder for management.
