Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

A new medical center specializing in gastrointestinal disorders is opening in El Paso, Texas, offering hope to patients throughout the country who suffer from debilitating symptoms. The new center is a collaborative effort between the University Medical Center of El Paso and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine. Called the Center for Gastrointestinal Motility and Functional Bowel Disorders, the center will diagnose and treat people who have problems digesting food.

Patients who suffer from regular vomiting, stomach pain or trouble swallowing are usually given diagnostic tests such as endoscopies, biopsies and CT scans. Some patients are sent to other cities for more advanced testing. With the opening of El Paso’s new clinic, patients who suffer from serious gastrointestinal conditions have more options for specialized care.

“Rather than sending patients to the Mayo Clinic, we can take care of them right here,” says Dr. Richard McCallum, a gastroenterologist and chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine at El Paso’s medical school, in an interview with the El Paso Times. “We offer a very cutting-edge array of the best tests to diagnose the disorders.”

These tests include an esophageal motility test to measure the muscles and pressure of the esophagus; and a gastric emptying test and an ingestible SmartPill, both of which monitor how quickly food leaves the stomach. “These are a series of tests the average hospital and (doctor’s) office do not have,” Dr. McCallum says.

The center will also conduct medical students for new drugs and treatments for various gastrointestinal conditions, including gastroparesis, a condition in which the stomach empties its contents too slowly causing pain, disability and nutritional problems for those who suffer from the condition.

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This entry was posted on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 1:44 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.