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Colon and Rectal Care

Colon and Rectal Care

You might not want to see a doctor when it comes to your colon and rectal health, but it's more important than you think.  Care and prevention of disease is key to a long and healthy life.  Our highly trained surgeons offer specialized care in all aspects of colon and rectal disease.

The colon, or large intestine, houses billions of bacteria. When your colon is healthy, these bacteria live in balance with your body, however, when your colon is unhealthy, it can lead to infection or inflammation, which can turn into more serious conditions such as cancer.

Colon and Rectal Care

You might not want to see a doctor when it comes to your colon and rectal health, but it's more important than you think.  Care and prevention of disease is key to a long and healthy life.  Our highly trained surgeons offer specialized care in all aspects of colon and rectal disease.

The colon, or large intestine, houses billions of bacteria. When your colon is healthy, these bacteria live in balance with your body, however, when your colon is unhealthy, it can lead to infection or inflammation, which can turn into more serious conditions such as cancer.

Our Approach

Surgeons in the Augusta University Digestive Health Center work closely with gastroenterologists, oncologists, radiation oncologists, and urologists to coordinate your care.  They treat all types of issues from the simplest hemorrhoid procedures to more complex cancer surgeries.

Colonoscopy experts

We perform thousands of colonoscopies using the latest technologies that allow our physicians to visualize the colon in three dimensions. This type of experience and cutting-edge technology ensures that we are able to successfully complete more than 95 percent of our colonoscopies.

We follow the American College of Gastroenterology guidelines, which recommend that patients undergo a colonoscopy every 10 years, beginning at age 50 (patients with a family history or who are African-American should begin at age 45). Make sure to talk to your physician to find out which screening guidelines are best for you.

The Augusta University Digestive Health Center cares for a number of conditions that affect the lining of the colon and rectum, including:

  • Anal fissures
  • Anal condyloma
  • Cancers of the Colon and Rectum
  • Colon polyps or small growths, typically precancerous
  • Chronic diarrhea
  • Colitis
  • Colorectal adenoma
  • Colonic bleeding, that are related to colon problems
  • Crohn’s disease
  • Diverticular diseases (inflamed or infected areas of the colon)
  • Fecal Incontinence
  • Hemorrhoids
  • Irritable bowel disease
  • Pilonidal cysts
  • Pruritus ani
  • Perianal abscesses

We offer diagnosis and treatment for all types of problems that can occur in the colon and rectum. Often, we can perform treatment at the time of diagnosis.

Colon and rectal procedures include:

  • Colonoscopies: an exam that is done to look for abnormalities in the colon.
  • Flexible sigmoidoscopy: Similar to a colonoscopy but focuses on examining the rectum and the lower, or sigmoid, colon.
  • Polypectomy: Removal of precancerous or cancerous polyps from the stomach, small bowel, or colon. We also offer advanced procedures such as saline-assisted polypectomy.
  • Benign anorectal care: Such as hemorrhoid banding, incision and drainage of thrombosed hemorrhoids and abscesses. Topical treatment for anal condyloma is also available.
  • Fecal microbiota transplantation: Patients who have a serious infection of the colon caused by Clostridium difficile (C. diff) bacteria that does not respond to antibiotics may benefit from transplantation of stool from a healthy donor. Up to 90 percent of patients with C. diff infections improve with this treatment.

Cancer Surgery

If colon cancer is found we work with the colon cancer specialists at the Georgia Cancer Center located on campus.  We create a treatment plan customized to your cancer, and will be there for you every step of the way.

 

Our Providers

Augusta University Medical Center specialists provide care and support throughout your entire healthcare journey.

Rao, Satish S., MBBS

Gastroenterology

Sifuentes, Humberto, MD

Gastroenterology

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