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Amy*
remembers what life was like before she met
Prashant Kedia, MD. Several times a week, she would
rush to the restroom after meals, her mouth full of the
sour reflux. At night, she would sleep propped up on
a wedge pillow, guarding against the burning acid that
would suddenly jolt her from sleep. Swallowing was
sometimes painful.
“It felt like food was stuck in my chest,” Amy says.
Amy’s family medicine physician referred her to
Dr. Kedia, gastroenterologist on the medical staff
at Methodist Dallas Medical Center and medical
director of the Methodist Interventional Endoscopy
Center of Excellence. Dr. Kedia diagnosed Amy with
gastroesophageal reflux disease, more commonly
known as GERD.
“Amy had tried medication, but it never gave
her the relief she needed,” Dr. Kedia says. “She
was the ideal candidate for transoral incisionless
fundoplication, or TIF.”
In the TIF procedure, an endoscope is used to guide
other tools, which the surgeon will use to tighten
the connection between the stomach and esophagus,
restoring it to a normal state.
ENDOSCOPY
Healing from the
Can
endoscopy
help me?
You may be a candidate for
an endoscopic procedure if
you have:
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Achalasia
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w
GERD (gastroesophageal
reflux disease)
w
w
Barrett’s esophagus
(complication of GERD)
w
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Gastrointestinal bleeding
w
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Motility disorders
w
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Pancreatitis
w
w
Pelvic abscesses
w
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Polyps.
FIND RELIEF
For a referral to the
physicians at the
Methodist Interventional
Endoscopy Center, call
214-947-6296
.
“Interventional endoscopy is the next wave of
therapy,” Dr. Kedia says. “It allows us to treat and
achieve healing from inside the body without incisions
to the skin.”
How endoscopy works
Endoscopists thread a thin, flexible tube fixed with
a small camera and light via the patient’s mouth or
rectum to various gastrointestinal (GI) organs.
The camera gives an up-close look at what’s causing
abdominal or GI distress and aids in diagnosing
pancreatitis, cysts, tumors, and cancer.
“After diagnosis, we can use specialized endoscopic
tools to treat certain GI diseases and conditions from
the inside,” Dr. Kedia says.
“With no incisions, the procedures are
less invasive and easier on the patient than in
traditional surgeries.”
Amy’s procedure took less than an hour. Today,
she’s off of medication and pain-free.
“Dr. Kedia gave me my quality of life back,” she
says. “I thank God I met him.”
*Name has been changed.
12
Methodist Dallas Medical Center
•
❁
Fall 2015