Gastroenterology

Department of Gastroenterology at Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre

The Department of Gastroenterology at Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre is the oldest and most experienced department in the private sector in Mumbai, involved in providing services to patients with the entire spectrum of Gastroenterology and Liver diseases, both adults and pediatric. Dr. H. G. Desai and Dr .Sharad Shah were the pioneers in their field and were the leading lights of the department.

The team of skilled Gastroenterologists and support staff at Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre work together to provide comprehensive care for patients with conditions including Gastro-intestinal, liver, Gall bladder and pancreatic disorders.  There are multidisciplinary meetings and clinics to manage pelvic floor disorders, fatty liver, Wilson disease and Hepatocellular carcinoma.

The department is well-equipped with advanced technology and equipment, including endoscopes and imaging tools, to perform all diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic procedures. The consultants in the department  are each well known nationally in their respective subspecialties supported by six experienced resident doctors making the department functional 24 hours a day, making sure all emergencies are dealt with on time. The department is also recognised as a teaching center by the National Board of Examinations (NBE) and the Maharashtra University of Health Services (MUHS) 

The Department of Gastroenterology at Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre is recognised as a centre of excellence for the treatment of Wilson’s disease by the Wilson Disease Association of the USA. It is also one of the most preferred centres for paediatric liver diseases. Wilson’s disease support group meetings in collaboration with other departments is a leading service provided by the department.

The Department of Gastroenterology also offers a dedicated program for liver transplantation surgery. Jaslok Hospital was the first hospital in Western India to start a liver transplant programme.  Liver transplantation is an important life-saving treatment option for patients suffering from end-stage liver failure as a result of end stage  cirrhosis and acute liver failure. 

Research and innovation are one of the main goals of the department. The Department of Gastroenterology has organised various national and international meetings in conjunction with Department of GI Surgery and Pediatrics. These include biliary diseases, intestinal tuberculosis, inflammatory bowel diseases, liver transplantation, diseases of the oesophagogastric (OG) junction, colorectal diseases, paediatric liver updates, updates on HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and liver,  and critical care issues in Gastroenterology and Hepatology.  

Services at the Department of Gastroenterology at Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre

The infrastructure of the Department of Gastroenterology at Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre is designed to provide a safe, comfortable, and efficient environment for patients and staff. 

The Department of Gastroenterology at Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre offers a wide range of procedures and services to diagnose and treat digestive disorders and is equipped with state of the art equipment  

Highlights of the Services Provided

All diagnostic procedures, including:

• OesophagoGastroDuodenoscopy (OGD)
• Colonoscopy
• Capsule endoscopy
• Endoscopic ultrasound
• Oesophagal and anorectal manometry, and
• 24-hour pH and impedance monitoring

All therapeutic endoscopic procedures, including:

• Oesophageal dilatation 
• Balloon dilatation for achalasia cardia and strictures 
• Sclerotherapy or glue injection of gastric varices 
• Variceal band ligation 
• Polypectomy 
• Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy 
• Nasojejunal tube placement 
• Oesophageal, duodenal, colonic, biliary and pancreatic stent placement 
• Bile duct stone removal 
• Argon plasma coagulation for gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) and other bleeding lesions
• Radiation proctitis 
• Bleeding lesions and endoscopic mucosal resection of early cancers 
• Gastric banding procedures for morbid obesity 

Key Research of the Department of Gastroenterology at Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre

There are many firsts in the research area originating out of the wide spectrum of diseases that are managed and the interest in teaching the same to students of Gastroenterology 

The Department of Gastroenterology at Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre is the pioneer of several important research and publications 

• 1st to write a monograph on amoebic liver abscess
• 1st to write a publication on hepatic tuberculosis
• 1st in the country to start hepatitis C mandatory testing of blood
• 1st to perform a successful living-donor liver transplant
• 1st to write a monograph on the management of acute pancreatitis
• 1st to write a monograph on gastritis
• 1st to describe and publish a global assessment scale for Wilson’s disease 
• 1st Indian guidelines published on Wilson disease
• 1st to conduct a radiological intervention in children and infants with Budd-Chiari syndrome and publish the research in several journals
• 1st to publish  a multicenter study on Indian experience with enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) for patients with Gaucher’s disease
• 1st to describe liver toxicity with Giloy and provide a guideline to approach patients with HILI- Herb induced liver injury