Lincoln Park Endoscopy Center, together with Ascension Saint Joseph – Chicago, is a single-specialty surgery center that provides outpatient gastrointestinal care. The gastroenterologists (GI doctors) on our care team are affiliated with Ascension Illinois.
When bloating, heartburn, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, cramping or stomach pain won’t go away, we deliver personalized care for conditions that affect your entire digestive tract — from your throat to your colon and everything in between. With endoscopic camera procedures, your doctor can diagnose and treat GI conditions.
We understand you and your family may feel vulnerable and anxious about healthcare. That’s why we listen to better understand you and your health concerns. We strive to be open, inclusive and compassionate as we tend to your specific needs. Inspired by faith, Ascension Illinois delivers quality care with dignity and empathy. We embrace you and your family as one of our own. Then, we work with you to create a care plan that’s right for you.
Gastroenterology and digestive health care
Digestive health conditions affect your physical and emotional health. GI distress often disrupts how, what and when you eat. Your gastroenterology doctor provides treatment options and advanced care for a range of digestive health conditions, including:
- Barrett’s esophagus
- Crohn’s disease
- Eosinophilic esophagitis
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) gastritis
- Hemorrhoids
- Hiatal hernia
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Microscopic colitis
- Peptic ulcer disease
- Ulcerative colitis
Colonoscopies can help detect colorectal cancer
Getting regular colon screenings, such as a colonoscopy, may help find polyps and cancer early, when they are most treatable. When polyps and cancer are found early, there may be more options for treatment too. We recommend men and women get their first colonoscopy at age 45. You may need to get a colonoscopy earlier if you have a personal or family history of polyps or colon cancer, or if you have symptoms such as:
- Abdominal pain or discomfort
- Change in bowel habits
- Rectal bleeding
- Unexplained weight loss
Flexible sigmoidoscopy for common bowel problems
If you’ve been diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease, microscopic colitis, bowel obstruction, diverticulosis, anal fissures or internal hemorrhoids, your GI doctor may recommend a flexible sigmoidoscopy. This 15-minute procedure can help determine the cause of your abdominal pain, changes in bowel habits, rectal bleeding, chronic diarrhea, and other intestinal problems.
A sigmoidoscope is a thin, short, flexible tube with a light and camera on the end. Sigmoidoscopes are shorter than colonoscopes (used for a full colonoscopy) and no sedation or pain medications are required. Patients can have tissue biopsies and polyps removed more quickly, with less preparation and discomfort.
Upper endoscopy (EGD) can help treat digestive troubles
Gastroenterologists may use an EGD to investigate a range of digestive symptoms and diseases, including heartburn, nausea and vomiting, hiatal hernias, upper abdominal pain, Barrett’s esophagus, swallowing difficulties and unexplained anemia.
During the 30-minute procedure, a long, thin, flexible tube with a light and camera on the end is gently inserted through your mouth and down your throat (patients are typically under sedation during this part). Special tools can be passed through the tube to remove foreign objects or polyps, or to burn a blood vessel to stop bleeding. Patients usually go home after 30-60 minutes of recovery.
