Dr. Ayesha Cheema is a Primary Care Doctor with Mercy Personal Physicians at Columbia. She offers experienced and thoughtful primary care for adults of Howard County.
Inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, includes disorders that cause inflammation of the intestines. IBD is treated at Mercy by expert gastroenterologists.
The surgeons of The Center for Minimally Invasive Surgery at Mercy treat a variety of conditions including gallbladder disease, gallstones, hernia, colon cancer and GERD.
Mercy offers emergency care on the Downtown Baltimore campus 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (410-332-9477) with access to a trained emergency medicine team, diagnostic services and consultations with specialists.
In case of an Emergency, Dial 911 and follow the instructions of the EMS (Emergency Medical Services) team.
Mercy Medical Center's downtown campus includes our Main Hospital - The Mary Catherine Bunting Center, McAuley Plaza and The Weinberg Center.
General visiting hours at Mercy are 11:00 am to 8:30 pm. Hours vary by floor, please check with the nursing staff or call 410-332-9555.
Dr. Paul Thuluvath, Dr. Anurag Maheshwari and Dr. Hwan Yoo at The Center for Liver and Hepatobiliary Diseases at Mercy diagnose and treat sphincter of oddi dysfunction. Patients from the Baltimore Metropolitan region come to our doctors for their expertise and experience in the diagnosis and treatment of liver and hepatobiliary diseases, including sphincter of oddi dysfunction.
The sphincter of oddi, which is located in the upper part of the intestine where the pancreatic and bile ducts enter, is a one-way valve that allows the pancreatic and bile secretions to enter the bowel as well as prevents the bowel contents from backing up into the ducts. When the sphincter of oddi malfunctions, the pancreatic and bile ducts do not drain adequately. The result is pressure in the ducts that could lead to pancreatitis or biliary pain.
Risk factors for developing sphincter of oddi dysfunction include having had the gallbladder removed and being a woman in middle age.
Symptoms of sphincter of oddi dysfunction include:
Since most of the symptoms of sphincter of oddi dysfunction are the same as other digestive diseases, tests are conducted to rule out other possible conditions. When sphincter of oddi dysfunction is the suspected cause of the symptoms, a sphincter of oddi manometry is performed to measure how well the sphincter of oddi is functioning.
The first course of treatment for sphincter of oddi dysfunction is medication, which helps to control the sphincter of oddi spasms. When medications fail to improve the sphincter of oddi function and abdominal pain still exists, a sphincterotomy, during which the muscle is cut, may be recommended. Since a sphincterotomy can cause complications, it is used as a last treatment option for sphincter of oddi dysfunction.
Dr. Richard Desi of The Institute for Digestive Health and Liver Disease, focuses on hepatology, a sub-specialty of gastroenterology that addresses the liver, gallbladder, pancreas and biliary tract.
Learn about ulcerative colitis - diagnosis and treatment - from the perspective of a Mercy patient.