Gastrointestinal Motility and Physiology

The Center for Gastrointestinal Motility and Physiology is committed to improving the health of patients affected by conditions resulting from abnormal gastrointestinal motility (the movement of food through the GI tract) or sensation.

Our patients have access to leading-edge diagnostics, the newest medicines and devices, and multidisciplinary collaboration with Columbia experts in other fields. Working within a large academic-based medical center, we are able to help patients who also have non-GI disorders, such as heart, lung, or neurological conditions, or those who have undergone solid organ transplantation. 

GI Conditions We Treat

Motility, functional GI disorders, and acid-related disorders can cause enormous daily challenges for the patients they affect. Our specialized team is skilled in treating a wide range of conditions, including:

• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Esophagitis
• Non-erosive reflux disease 
• Achalasia
• Diffuse esophageal spasm
• Eosinophilic esophagitis
• Hypercontractile esophagus
• Chest pain of esophageal origin
• Chronic nausea and vomiting
• Cyclic vomiting syndrome
• Gastroparesis
• Functional dyspepsia
• Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth
• Functional abdominal pain
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction
• Constipation
• Fecal incontinence
• Pelvic floor disorders
• Scleroderma

GI Treatments We Offer

The Center for Gastrointestinal Motility and Physiology offers advanced, outpatient diagnostic procedures, including:

• High-resolution esophageal manometry: In order to see the movement of the esophagus, we use a transnasal probe with highly sensitive pressure monitors.
• Impedance-pH monitoring: Using a similar transnasal probe, we can check the movement of acidic and non-acidic fluid in the esophagus in order to better diagnose those who may have troublesome non-acid reflux.
• Capsule-based 48-Hour pH monitoring (Bravo): For those with acid-related symptoms that have been difficult to diagnose and treat, this wireless technology lets us precisely determine acidity in the last part of the esophagus during normal daily activities.
• High-resolution anorectal manometry: In order to see movement in the colon and coordination of the pelvic floor in those with chronic constipation or fecal incontinence, we perform a simple test using a transrectal probe with highly sensitive pressure monitors. This test allows us to understand the cause of the patient’s symptoms and help direct therapy.
• Wireless motility capsule (SmartPill): NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia is one of the few centers in the region with this comprehensive technology. This multivitamin-sized disposable capsule is simply swallowed and able to measure pH, pressure, and temperature, as well as regional transit times and pressure patterns throughout the gastrointestinal tract. It is most often used for diagnosis in patients with constipation and gastroparesis (delay in gastric emptying).

In addition, we offer a range of endoscopic procedures, including:

• Esophagogastoduodenoscopy (EGD)
• Enteroscopy
• Colonoscopy
• Esophageal dilation
• Pneumatic dilation
• Botox injections
• Feeding tubes

We work closely with our interventional endoscopy colleagues, who additionally offer: 

• POEM (per oral endoscopic myotomy)
• Stretta (radiofrequency energy for GERD)
• TIF (transoral incisionless fundoplication)
• MUSE
• G-POEM (gastric POEM)
• Stents