Gastroparesis Clinic Opens

A new multidisciplinary clinic at Cleveland Clinic aims to coordinate, optimize and streamline the care of patients with gastroparesis.

Patients referred to this innovative clinic can be evaluated by gastroenterologist Michael Cline, DO, and general surgeon Matthew Kroh, MD, in one setting. Experts in nutrition therapy, pain management and other services are available as needed.

Advantages for patients

“One of the big advantages for patients is they will no longer have to make long, multiple-day visits,” Dr. Cline says. Instead of visiting different departments over three to five days, patients get all necessary care in the clinic over one to two days.

The multidisciplinary collaboration means physicians can more easily follow 2013 gastroparesis guidelines from the American College of Gastroenterology. In part, ACG recommends a stepwise approach that starts with medication and nutrition therapy, followed by more invasive surgery to place a gastric pacemaker, as indicated.

Access to new technology

Faster evaluation and adoption of new technology is another potential advantage, Dr. Cline says. “Working together so closely means it is much easier to implement the latest advances in patient care.”

Cleveland Clinic physicians also are evaluating the promise of SmartPill® technology. The SmartPill (Given Imaging Ltd., Yokneam, Israel) allows direct visualization of the stomach emptying and could help identify when gastroparesis affects another part of the gut.

Patients can be referred to this new clinic by calling 855.REFER.123.