Gastroenterology (from the Greek gastḗr- "belly", -énteron "intestine", and -logía "study of") is the branch of medicine focused on the digestive system and its disorders. The digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract, sometimes referred to as the GI tract, which includes the esophagus, stomach, small intestine and large intestine as well as the accessory organs of digestion which include the pancreas, gallbladder, and liver.
The digestive system functions to move material through the GI tract via peristalsis, break down that material via digestion, absorb nutrients for use throughout the body, and remove waste from the body via defecation. Physicians who specialize in the medical specialty of gastroenterology are called gastroenterologists or sometimes GI doctors.
Some of th...
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Drawings of Bozzini's Lichtleiter (Gr.light guiding instrument), earliest description of endoscopy. ...
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Detailed diagram of an endoscopic retrograde cholangio pancreatography (ERCP).
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Diagram showing a colonoscopy.
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Sigmoidoscopy
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The gastrointestinal tract, also called the digestive tract, alimentary canal, or gut, is the system...
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An esophagogastroduodenoscopy (upper gastrointestinal endoscopy) being performed
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GERD. See a full animation of this medical topic.
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An icon to represent "global thinking".
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The first gastroenterology pH-probe by Jesse F. McClendon
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People icon
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The rod of Asclepius as depicted in the WHO logo.