In 1990, the first comprehensive facility for pediatric gastrointestinal procedures opened at Texas Children's Hospital (TCH). The Gastrointestinal Procedures Suite (GIPS) offers many of the state-of-the-art diagnostic and therapeutic modalities available to address pediatric gastrointestinal and liver disease. The GIPS performs approximately 2800 gastrointestinal procedures (e.g., upper endoscopy, colonoscopy, wireless capsule endoscopy, liver biopsy) annually as well as a wide array of diagnostic tests (esophageal pH monitoring, impedance, manometry, and breath testing). The GIPS is a nationally recognized leader in sedation techniques in children, pediatric endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), and is the headquarters of the PEDS-CORI project (Pediatric Endoscopy Database System – Clinical Outcomes Research Initiative), a national pediatric endoscopy research database funded in part by the National Institutes of Health.
Conditions frequently evaluated during procedures include:
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- Peptic Ulcer Disease
- Eosinophilic Esophagitis
- Celiac Disease
- Crohn Disease
- Ulcerative Colitis
- Esophageal and Gastric Varices
- Pancreatitis
- Choledocholithiasis
- Gallstones Strictures from caustic ingestion, prior surgery and foreign bodies
- Colon Polyps and related syndromes (eg. FAP, Peutz-Jeghers)
- Hirschprung’s Disease
GIPS provides state-of-the-art care to inpatients and outpatients ranging in age from newborn to adults. Procedures are typically performed with either general anesthesia or moderate sedation. Additional services provided by the suite, include renal biopsies, bronchoscopy and related procedures.
Common procedures performed are:
- Upper Endoscopy
- Colonoscopy
- ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography)
- Wireless Capsule Endoscopy
- Liver Biopsy
- Manometry
