Because the stress to the body is greatly reduced by this minimally invasive approach, our patients both adults and children are extremely satisfied with the operative outcomes, in particular the minimal pain, scarring, and recovery time. Dr. Merriam works closely with John S. Brebbia, MD , assistant professor of surgery, in providing the Center's clinical services. To provide the best possible patient care, our surgeons work closely with Stony Brook's gastroenterologists in particular, Peter F. Ells, MD, Joseph Anderson, MD, John W. Birk, MD, Douglas L. Brand, MD, and Bonnie J. Pollack, MD who maintain a sophisticated endoscopy laboratory as well as the only esophageal motility laboratory in Suffolk County, which is run by Dr. Brand. GERD, for instance, is a chronic, recurrent disorder that results when stomach contents reflux into the esophagus. It is characterized by heartburn, eructation, and epigastric pain.
Diagnosis is normally presumptive and made by the physician based on recognition of common symptoms.
But the symptoms cannot reliably predict the severity of the disorder or indicate the patient's risk of developing complications, including reflux esophagitis, stricture formation, and Barrett's esophagus which is associated with cancer. University Hospital's endoscopy and motility laboratories provide the information needed for the most accurate diagnosis of GERD and gastroesophageal motility disorders, and for determining the appropriate treatment plan. The laparoscope is a slender tube, less than three-eighths of an inch in diameter, with magnifying lenses at both ends, like a telescope. However, instead of gazing into outer space, a laparoscope looks at inner space. When used for instance in abdominal surgery, a small incision is made in the abdomen through which the laparoscope is inserted via a hollow trocar-tube into the abdominal cavity.