The Center provides a comprehensive
and multidisciplinary approach to diagnose and treat the patients with
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) by a team of experts in this field.
Patients with difficult IBD can be benefited by one of the several on-going
clinical trials including experimental drugs.
The Center includes a professionally staffed patient
education team to work with patients and their families.
Individual and family counseling by psychologists
specializing in chronic diseases is also available.
A Crohn’s and Colitis support group has been established
and meets the last Tuesday of each month from 7-9pm.
Endoscopy and GI Diagnostic Laboratory:
A full range of endoscopic procedures are available, allowing physicians
to visualize, evaluate and treat the problems.
Nutrition support and Home Hyperalimentation service:
Patients receive inpatient and outpatient counseling and support to follow
special diets or intravenous feeding programs outside of the hospital.
The surgical treatment, when needed, includes
more sophisticated operations such as “ the pull-through” operation for
Ulcerative Colitis, which maintains normal bowel continuity and stricturoplasty
for Crohn’s disease complications. Surgeons specialized in complex
IBD surgery work closely with the Gastroenterologists.
Patient education and Ostomy care Services:
Available with trained specialists and a wide range of audiovisual and
printed materials. These services offer pre-operative counseling
to the patients with IBD including those who need ostomy appliances and
help with post operative care at home.
Current On-Going Therapeutic
Trials: Exposure to on-going clinical therapeutic trials
for Crohn’s disease include: 1) IL-10 for steroid dependent patients,
2) An open label trial of Thalidomide for refractory Crohn’s disease,
3) Maintenance
dosing of the drug Remicade for long-term treatment of moderately to
severely active Crohn's disease and fistulizing Crohn's disease.
Trials to begin shortly: IL-11 for patients with
active Crohn's disease.
Studies for Ulcerative Colitis include:
1) An on-going study for refractory Ulcerative Colitis patients
involves the utilization of IV Cyclosporine, 2) Monoclonal
antibody (MAb DAS-1) retention enema treatment for refractory proctitis.
