{"id":221129,"date":"2024-11-18T09:00:27","date_gmt":"2024-11-18T14:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=221129"},"modified":"2024-11-18T08:51:26","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T13:51:26","slug":"colonoscopies-are-good-new-tech-makes-them-better","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2024\/11\/colonoscopies-are-good-new-tech-makes-them-better\/","title":{"rendered":"Colonoscopies Are Good; New Tech Makes Them Better"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gastroenterologists and cancer prevention specialists at UConn Health emphasize the importance of colonoscopies as an effective tool to prevent colorectal cancer.<\/p>\n

Now they\u2019re using the most advanced technology they\u2019ve ever had to do so.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

W<\/span>e can better identify abnormalities in the intestinal lining, and more subtle changes, and hopefully therefore pickup up pathology at an earlier time. — Dr. John Birk<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"D.
Dr. John Birk is chief of UConn Health’s Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. (Photo by Janine Gelineau)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

UConn Health is an early adopter of an endoscopy system that provides a new level of clarity to physicians examining the gastrointestinal tract.<\/p>\n

\u201cColonoscopy has been widely adopted as a screening mechanism for colon cancer, and been shown to be effective in lowering your risk of mortality from colon cancer,\u201d says Dr. John Birk<\/a>, chief of UConn Health\u2019s Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology<\/a>. \u201cAnd we\u2019re getting even better at it. With our new instruments, we can better identify abnormalities in the intestinal lining, and more subtle changes, and hopefully therefore pickup up pathology at an earlier time.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a simple formula that applies to many illnesses: Find it soon enough to address before it becomes problematic. Colonoscopies enable physicians to locate, identify, and remove either cancerous lesions before they can spread, or other growths before they have a chance to become cancerous.<\/p>\n

The applications go beyond colon cancer screening. Endoscopy helps diagnose and treat acid reflux, ulcers, Crohn\u2019s disease, and celiac disease, some of which potentially can lead to other cancers.<\/p>\n

The new endoscopy system includes a range of new technologies that enhance image color and texture, improve visibility of deep blood vessels and bleeding points, and make darker areas of the endoscopic image easier to see.<\/p>\n

It all adds up to clearer, better-defined imaging that enables physicians to instantaneously identify abnormalities and help inform next steps during the procedure.<\/p>\n

\u201cExamples of enhanced imaging helping us in upper endoscopy are identifying Barrett\u2019s esophagus more easily, like someone with chronic anemia who may have minor bleeding, and is not bleeding actively at the moment,\u201d Birk says.<\/p>\n

\"portrait
Dr. Roopjeet Bath shows the new endoscopy system she and other UConn Health gastroenterologists have been using since summer 2024. (Tina Encarnacion\/UConn Health Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Barrett\u2019s esophagus, which is when acid reflux causes damage to the esophagus, can be a precursor to esophageal cancer. Another condition that calls for screening is atrophic gastritis, or chronic inflammation of the stomach lining\u2019s mucous membrane, which can be a precursor to gastric cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis new enhanced imaging will help identify abnormalities in these precursor lesions too, and it actually may help even more [than with colorectal cancer],\u201d Birk says.<\/p>\n

Another advantage is the endoscopes themselves are lighter and easier to handle, and the tools used for upper GI procedures are thinner, causing less of a disturbance to the patient\u2019s throat.<\/p>\n

The technology, which is from Olympus, also could lead to growing acceptance the optical biopsy, a method of using imaging to identify whether a polyp is more serious or benign without having to remove the tissue and send to the pathology lab.<\/p>\n

The American Cancer Society\u2019s guidelines are for people considered to be at average risk start to regular colorectal cancer screening at age 45. Because factors in determining risk can include family history, medical history, lifestyle, and demographics, UConn Health\u2019s Colon Cancer Prevention Program<\/a> works with each patient to create an individualized plan for recommended timing, method, and frequency of screenings.<\/p>\n

To schedule an appointment or learn more, call the Colon Cancer Prevention Program at 860-679-4567, or the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at 860-679-3238.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UConn Health now has its most advanced technology for GI procedures<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":111,"featured_media":221368,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2231,1868,179],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2010],"class_list":["post-221129","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-well-being","category-meds","category-uconn-health"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-25 23:52:15","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221129","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/111"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=221129"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221129\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":221393,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221129\/revisions\/221393"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/221368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=221129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=221129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=221129"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=221129"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=221129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}