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DIGESTIVE HEALTH

Enloe Medical Center, in cooperation with the physicians of Digestive Disease Associates and other members of Enloe's Medical Staff, offers a range of tests and treatments for gastroenterological (GI) conditions. We perform in-patient as well as outpatient procedures of the colon and upper-GI tract — most minimally invasive, and all consistent with the best evidence-based standards for safety, comfort and effectiveness.

Diagnostic Procedures include:

  • Colonoscopy: Using a scope, the physician looks inside the lower digestive track to screen for colon cancer, identify the source of ailments and/or remove small tissue samples for biopsy.
  • EGD (Esophagogastroduodenoscopy, or upper GI endoscopy): The physician uses a scope with long, flexible tube to view the esophagus, stomach and duodenum.
  • ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography): The physician uses a scope with a long flexible tube to access the duodenum, and inserts a catheter through the scope to access the common bile duct. This allows the doctor to provide treatment for the duct and locate problems in the pancreas. Our SpyGlass Direct Visualization System enables physicians to see the pancreas and perform optically guided biopsies, a quicker, more accurate and less traumatic method of diagnosis than traditional biopsy.
  • EUS (Endoscopic ultrasound, or endoscopic sonography): The physician employs a scope that provides both live video and ultrasound images to identify ailments in the GI tract.
  • Esophageal motility and pH studies: In these procedures, a registered nurse employs a catheter in order to measure pressure and acidity in the esophagus. A physician can use this information to diagnose gastric reflux disease (GERD) and determine the effectiveness of GERD medications on the patient’s condition.
  • Liver biopsy: In this procedure, a physician inserts a needle through the skin to the liver to removes a tissue sample that is sent to a lab for testing.

Therapeutic treatments include:

  • Enteral stenting: To expand blocked areas of the stomach, bowel or colon, the physician implants an expandable metal stent.
  • Esophogeal dilation: The physician uses this procedure to expand a narrowed area of the esophagus.
  • Barrett's Halo Ablation System: For the treatment of Barrett's esophagus, an often pre-cancerous condition.

Gastroenterologists

The doctors of Digestive Disease Associates, Uzma Abbasi, MD, Stephen F. Pearce, MD , Shaheen Rasheed, MD, and John DeBanto, MD see patients at Enloe Medical Center and in their patient-centered office. They are independent licensed practitioners who are members of the Enloe Medical Staff and not employed by the medical center.

New

Enloe's Magnolia Tower, which opened November 2012, brings new space and equipment for the GI Department. The surgical services area offers four endoscopy rooms, one specializing in brochoscopies, one for interventional procedures and two for endoscopies.

Contact Us

To make an appointment, please consult with your primary-care physician and request a referral.

Enloe GI Department
1531 Esplanade
Chico, CA 95926
(530) 332-7388
Hours: Inpatient service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Outpatient service can be scheduled Monday through Friday, 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Enloe Endoscopy Clinic
888 Lakeside Village Commons
Chico, CA 95972
(530) 332-6810
Hours: Outpatient procedures can be scheduled Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Enloe Liver Clinic
1405 Magnolia, Ste. C
Chico, CA 95926
(530) 332-7546
Available by appointment