What is Inflammatory Bowel Disease or IBD?

The term IBD refers to a group of conditions that involve chronic inflammation of the digestive tract. The two most common types of IBD are: 

• Crohn’s disease: inflammation that can affect any part of the digestive tract 
• Ulcerative colitis: inflammation that only affects the colon. 

 Proper diagnosis and assessment of IBD is critical to providing the right treatment, successfully managing the condition, and helping patients improve their quality of life.

​Diagnosis & Treatment of IBD

Diagnosis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

An accurate diagnosis is essential to being able to provide the best care for IBD patients. IBD is a complex condition and sometimes a diagnosis can take time. Some conditions may symptomatically mimic IBD, and doctors need to rule out other possible causes of symptoms. Our skilled team of experts specialize in the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease based on individual symptoms, clinical assessment and evaluation of test results.

Our IBD Program offers a variety of specialized diagnostic tests to help us properly assess the condition, including:

• Gastroscopy: A procedure where a thin, flexible tube with a camera on the end is inserted into the mouth and through the esophagus to assess the health of the esophagus, stomach, and the duodenum.
• Colonoscopy: A procedure that uses a thin, flexible tube with a camera to look inside the colon and the end of the small bowel.  
• Flexible sigmoidoscopy: A thin, flexible tube with a camera is used to look inside the rectum and the lower portion of the colon.
• Balloon-assisted enteroscopy: This is a technique that uses a balloon to allow a camera to enter the small bowel and look at areas that cannot be assessed on regular endoscopy or colonoscopy.

During these procedures, tissue samples can be obtained and analyzed in the lab for accurate diagnosis. 

​Capsule endoscopy: A test that involves swallowing a pill-shaped wireless camera. The camera takes pictures of the inside of the entire digestive tract and can help see areas of the bowel that are not visibly accessible through a regular endoscopy.

Magnetic Resonance Enterography (MRE): A non-invasive imaging test that takes pictures of the digestive tract, allowing physicians to identify abnormalities in the bowel.

CT scan: An imaging test that produces images of the organs and can detect complications of IBD, such as intestinal blockages. 

Symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease 

Although every patient is different, some of the most common symptoms of IBD include abdominal pain, diarrhea, blood in the stool, fatigue or weight loss. 

Some of the symptoms of IBD can also occur with other conditions, highlighting the importance of a proper diagnosis.