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Kingsbridge Help & Support

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Kingsbridge Hospital

UK 028 90 667 878  ROI 048 90 667 878 

Sligo Hospital

ROI 071 916 2649 

Cross Border Health Team

ROI 048 9068 8858 

Children's Digestive & Gut Clinic

    • Endoscopy (camera tests) for children to diagnose inflammed bowel conditions
    • Team of leading specialist Paediatric Consultants
    • Cutting edge solutions. State of the art facilities
    • Outstanding patient care before, during and after your procedure
Gastro Clinic
What you need to know at a glance – Children's Digestive & Gut Clinic
Referral Required
Self-referrals or GP referral
Typical Waiting Time
1 week for consultation / 1 month for procedure
Procedure Type
Outpatient
Procedure Time
45 mins
Anaesthetic
General Anaesthetic
Recovery Time
1-3 hours
Full Recovery
Same day
Risks & Complication
Small risk of bleeding. Risk of perforation, though extremely rare.

Inflammatory Bowel & Coeliac Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a term mainly used to describe disorders involving long-standing or chronic inflammation of the digestive tract. 

Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are long-term conditions that involve inflammation of the gut.

Ulcerative colitis only affects the colon (large intestine) and involves inflammation and ulcers along the lining of the colon and rectum

Crohn’s disease can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract, from where food enters your body in the mouth, to the anus.

Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disorder. where the body is unable to digest gluten, a protein in many grains like wheat, rye, and barley. When eaten they make the immune system attack the small intestine.  

What are the symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel & Coeliac Disease?

Coeliac disease and Crohn’s disease occur when the immune system doesn’t work normally. In both cases, that leads to inflammation in your intestines and sometimes other body parts, too.

The symptoms include:

  • pain, cramps or swelling in the tummy
  • recurring diarrhoea
  • blood in your stool
  • indigestion
  • weight loss
  • anaemia
  • extreme tiredness

What treatments do we offer to investigate this condition?

Endoscopy (camera tests) for children:

Upper GI endoscopy (OGD)

Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (or OGD) is a way for your child’s surgeon to assess the food-pipe, stomach, and first part of the small intestine. It is useful for diagnosing conditions such as gastro-oesophageal reflux, inflammation (such as in allergic conditions like eosinophilic oesophagitis), Crohn’s disease, and Coeliac disease.

Lower GI endoscopy (colonoscopy)

Lower gastrointestinal endoscopy (or colonoscopy) is used to assess the large bowel when your child has had some bleeding from the back passage, especially if there is a family history of inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis).

What are the benefits of Endoscopy?

Endoscopy is used to confirm the diagnosis of conditions such as eosinophilic oesophagitis, coeliac disease, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. This can then help get your child on the correct treatment for their condition.

What happens during Endoscopy?

If your child is having endoscopy to confirm Coeliac disease they should have at least 4-6 weeks of a gluten-rich diet (ideally to the point where their symptoms are becoming difficult to tolerate) prior to the procedure, as this will massively increase our chance of making the diagnosis on biopsy. A low-residue diet and medicine to clear the bowel is usually prescribed prior to your child’s colonoscopy as this also improves the safety and efficiency of the procedure.

Endoscopy in children is performed under a full general anaesthetic. A flexible telescope is passed via your child’s mouth (for OGD) or via the anus (for colonoscopy). OGD usually takes about 10 minutes to complete, while colonoscopy can take around 45 minutes. During these procedures your child’s surgeon will be able to take tiny samples (or biopsies) of the lining to the gastrointestinal tract and can also take pictures or video to help discuss your child’s condition with you afterwards.

How long does it take to recover?

Endoscopy in children is performed as a day case so your child will be able to go home a few hours after their procedure.

Risks & complications of Endoscopy

Small risk of bleeding. A perforation is a serious complication where a small hole in the bowel occurs as a result of the endoscopy procedure – if this happens children tend to become unwell with abdominal pain, temperatures or vomiting. Thankfully this is extremely rare and occurs in less than 1 in every 1,000 procedures.

Is a referral required?

Self-referrals or GP referrals are both welcome

Average wait time for consultation & treatment

Average wait time for consultation less than 1 week Average wait time for procedure less than 1 month

Book An Appointment

The quickest way to Book a Treatment or Consultation is through our

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Alternatively, please complete & submit the form below. Our Patient Booking Team will contact you back to confirm available dates, times and prices.

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Treatment Locations

Kingsbridge Outpatient Clinic Maypole

5-7 Shore Rd, Holywood, BT18 9HX

Kingsbridge North West

Church Hill House Main Street Ballykelly BT49 9HS

Healthcare Professionals & Consultants

Mr Alistair Dick

Consultant Paediatric Surgeon

Patient Journey

Find out what your journey will be from diagnosis to treatment

Self Funded Journey

Kingsbridge Help & Support

A credit or debit card is necessary to secure your booking. The card will be saved as your default payment method. You'll receive notifications regarding any outstanding balances. For details on the information we collect and process, while providing your healthcare, please refer to our privacy policy. By using this service, you consent to our privacy policy.

Continue to Kingsbridge Booking

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