The KTPH Digestive Disease service treats patients with problems of the digestive tract (esophagus, stomach, small intestine, colon and rectum). This also includes problems of the pancreas, liver and gallbladder, which are involved in producing digestive secretions.

Diseases of the digestive tract may result in symptoms such as:

• Acid reflux and heartburn
• Loss of appetite
• Swallowing problems
• Unintentional weight loss
• Anemia (low blood count)
• Sensation of bloating or indigestion
• Pain in any area of the abdomen
• Bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract (e.g. blood seen or detected in stool samples)
• Change in one's usual bowel habit
• Chronic diarrhoea or constipation

The common conditions which we treat are:

• Peptic ulcer disease
• Polyps of the stomach
• Investigation of anemia
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease
• Helicobacter pylori infection
• Colorectal cancer / colon polyp screening and surveillance
• Cancers of the oesophagus, stomach, colon, pancreas and gallbladder
• Inflammatory bowel disease (Ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease)
• Pancreatic diseases (pancreatitis, tumors, cysts)
• Evaluation of elevated cancer markers (Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA) and Ca19-9)
• Haemorrhoids

Gastrointestinal diseases are evaluated with the use of abdominal scans and endoscopy. Abdominal scans include computed tomography (CT) scans, magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic resonance cholangio-pancreatography, CT enteroclysis, CT colonography (virtual colonoscopy) and contrast studies.

Another frequently performed test is the Urea Breath Test, which screens for the presence of an infection in the stomach called Helicobacter pylori.

Our doctors also perform cancer screening (gastric cancer and colorectal cancer) as a form of preventive medicine.

Patients who have abnormal liver function tests are commonly referred to our clinics.

Liver diseases may be silent or may present as:

• Jaundice
• Water retention
• Impaired immunity
• Increased risk of bleeding
• Problems with blood clotting
• Confusion and reduced alertness
• Swelling of the legs and abdomen

Liver diseases which we manage in our specialist clinics include:

• Viral hepatitis (e.g. Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C)
• Fatty liver
• Liver cancer
• Abnormal liver lesions seen on scans (e.g. suspected cancer)
• Cirrhosis or 'hardening' of the liver
• Metabolic liver diseases (e.g. Wilson’s disease)
• Drug related liver disease, including alcoholic liver disease
• Autoimmune liver disease, primary biliary cirrhosis, sclerosing cholangitis

Our specialists have an interest in the treatment of viral hepatitis. With advancements in medicine, Hepatitis C which was once an incurable disease can now be cured. New drugs (e.g. protease inhibitors) may be used to treat Hepatitis C when appropriate. In addition, there are also new medications available to treat patients with abnormal liver function tests and Hepatitis B.

The liver cancer treatments which are available at KTPH include:

• Trans-arterial chemoembolization, TACE (including doxorubicin coated beads, if necessary)
• Radiofrequency ablation, RFA
• Liver resection

We collaborate with Liver surgeons, interventional radiologists and oncologists in the management of liver cancer. Our Liver service is supported by modern scanners and elastography to detect early liver disease. In selected patients with a failing liver, we may recommend a liver transplant through our partnership with a transplant centre.