GI Issues

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ShorePoint Health Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda offers a range of treatment, including colorectal surgery for a variety of GI issues and conditions, including:

Colon motility problems, such as chronic constipation and bowel incontinence

Your colon is a major organ in the gastrointestinal tract that plays a critical role in regulating the frequency and consistency of stools. There are two primary symptoms:

• Altered bowel habits, such as constipation and diarrhea
• Irregular abdominal cramping

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, additional symptoms include straining, urgency, feeling of incomplete evacuation, passage of mucus and bloating.

Diverticular disease

Diverticular disease is a condition when diverticula (small bulges or sacs) form in the wall of the colon (large intestine), most commonly in the sigmoid colon (part of the large intestine closest to the rectum). According to The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS), there are two main types of diverticular disease:

• Diverticulosis: The presence of diverticula without associated complications or problems. This condition can lead to more serious issues including diverticulitis, perforation (the formation of holes), stricture (a narrowing of the colon that does not easily let stool pass), fistulas and bleeding.
• Diverticulitis: An inflammatory condition of the colon thought to be caused by perforation of one of the sacs. Several secondary complications can result from a diverticulitis attack. When this occurs, it is called complicated diverticulitis.

Hemorrhoids, fissure and fistula

• Hemorrhoids occur around the anus and lower rectum (the bottom section of your colon) and are enlarged, bulging blood vessels. Often they are referred to as varicose veins of the anus and rectum.
• Fissures are small rips or tears in the lining of the anal canal (the short tube surrounded by muscle at the end of your rectum).
• Fistulas are often the result of an anal abscess, or an infection in the internal glands of the anus. They are common in patients suffering from Crohn’s disease.

Inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is often characterized by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. There are two main types of IBD, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Although the symptoms of both are quite similar, the areas affected in your GI tract are different. These differences include:

• Crohn’s disease: It may affect any part of your GI tract from the mouth to the anus, but most commonly affects the ileum (end of the small bowel) and the beginning of the colon (large intestine).
• Ulcerative colitis: Ulcerative colitis is limited to the colon.