Comprehensive Esophageal Health Center opens with more convenient, streamlined care
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center is among a limited number of health care centers in the Midwest – and the nation – with a dedicated esophageal treatment center. Since the center’s formal launch and the opening of Outpatient Care New Albany in 2021, access to specialized esophageal care through the center has grown tremendously.
“Our emphasis is on multidisciplinary care and multimodal therapies,” says Megan Chan, MD, an Ohio State gastroenterologist, esophagologist and clinical assistant professor of Internal Medicine in The Ohio State University College of Medicine.
The center has a collaborative team of experts from Gastroenterology, Surgery, Otolaryngology and Nutrition who work together to effectively manage individual treatment plans and meet monthly during formal interdisciplinary case conferences to discuss the most complex esophageal cases. “This cross-department collaboration and intentional synthesis of different medical perspectives really enhances the care we provide,” says Dr. Chan. Another center advantage is the complex endoscopic procedures that are offered. Because there are no incisions, most people can be treated on an outpatient basis.
“Conditions we see run the gamut, from benign to premalignant to malignant, but every care plan is tailored to each person’s unique needs and goals,” says gastroenterologist Jordan Burlen, MD, one of the center’s advanced endoscopists, along with Eric Swei, MD, a gastroenterologist and advanced endoscopist with special interest in esophageal diseases who recently joined Ohio State’s Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. “I’ve witnessed the toll that GI-related issues can have on someone’s quality of life,” Dr. Burlen says. “They’ve impacted my own family – and I know the personalized approach this center is dedicated to providing can be transformative.”
With coordinated care and motility labs at two convenient central Ohio locations – one at Ohio State’s University Hospital and the other at Outpatient Care New Albany – the esophageal center treats disorders including:
- Eosinophilic esophagitis
- Barrett’s esophagus
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease
- Tracheoesophageal fistula
- Refractory esophageal strictures
- Lymphocytic esophagitis
- Achalasia
- Esophageal dysmotility (e.g., hypercontractile esophagus, distal esophageal spasm, EGJ outflow obstruction)
- Dysphasia
The center’s advanced procedures not only accelerate recovery rates and enhance outcomes, they also increase detection rates and lead to diagnosis at earlier stages. As an example, WATS-3D (which uses a special brush tool and AI computer analysis) can increase detection of Barrett’s esophagus, a premalignant condition for esophageal cancer, by 213% and dysplastic Barrett’s by 273%. Diagnostic and therapeutic tools Ohio State uses are:
- POEM (Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy)
- EndoFLIP and EsoFLIP dilation (link to endoflip story also part of the National Rep campaign)
- Esophageal manometry
- pH impedance testing
- Bravo pH testing
- Radiofrequency ablation
- Cryotherapy
- WATS-3D
- Esophageal stenting
- Endoscopic suturing
- Endoscopic mucosal resection
Ohio State is also dedicated to providing education, offering a Comprehensive Esophageal Health Center Conference Series as part of Ohio State’s Center for Continuing Medical Education. Past topics include Dysphagia Management; Barrett’s Esophagus; Innovations in Reflux Management – Dietary, Medical & Surgical Strategies for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease; and The Annual Neurogastroenterology and Motility Conference.
Refer a patient or collaborate
Both Dr. Chan and Dr. Burlen emphasize their team’s interest in collaboration with other health care providers. For questions about Ohio State’s esophageal treatment center, specific conditions, advanced endoscopy or other multimodal therapies, contact megan.chan@osumc.edu or jordan.burlen@osumc.edu. To refer a patient, you can call 614-293-6255 or visit our health care professional website to submit a digital referral request or download a paper referral form.
