Digestive and Hepatobiliary Doctors in Indore

Gastrointestinal and liver disease carries a substantial burden across central India. Viral hepatitis B and C remain prevalent in the region, alcohol-related liver disease is a frequent presentation in urban gastroenterology practice, and the rising rates of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes have made non-alcoholic fatty liver disease one of the commonest causes of chronic liver disease seen in outpatient clinics. Pancreatic and biliary conditions like gallstone disease, common bile duct stones, acute and chronic pancreatitis account for a significant proportion of emergency and elective GI surgical referrals. The capacity to manage this spectrum of conditions at the gastroenterological level - through endoscopy, therapeutic intervention, and medical hepatology - without requiring patients to travel to a tertiary centre in Mumbai or Delhi, is what a specialist gastroenterology service within Indore provides.

Medanta Indore's Digestive and Hepatobiliary Sciences department offers gastroenterological care across the full clinical range - diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy including upper GI endoscopy and colonoscopy, pancreato-biliary endoscopic procedures, hepatology for both acute and chronic liver disease and luminal gastroenterology. The two gastroenterologists - Dr. Hari Prasad Yadav and Dr. Arun Singh Bhadauria - are both DM-qualified, with Dr. Bhadauria having trained at SGPGI Lucknow, one of India's leading postgraduate gastroenterology programmes.

The department operates in direct clinical collaboration with the GI Surgery team at Medanta Indore providing the endoscopic diagnostic and therapeutic complement to the surgical programme and ensuring that patients whose conditions require both gastroenterological assessment and surgical intervention can be managed within a single institutional framework.

Gastroenterology and Hepatobiliary Services at Medanta Indore

Diagnostic and Therapeutic GI Endoscopy

Upper GI endoscopy (oesophagogastroduodenoscopy) is the primary investigative and therapeutic tool for conditions affecting the oesophagus, stomach and duodenum. It is used diagnostically for dyspepsia, dysphagia, upper GI bleeding, suspected malignancy, and the assessment of known conditions such as peptic ulcer disease, Barrett's oesophagus, and gastric intestinal metaplasia. Therapeutically, it allows band ligation of oesophageal varices in portal hypertension, endoscopic haemostasis for peptic ulcer bleeding, polypectomy and the management of post-surgical complications. Colonoscopy provides direct visualisation of the large bowel for investigation of lower GI bleeding, altered bowel habit, anaemia of uncertain origin, and colorectal cancer screening, alongside therapeutic polypectomy and stricture management. Both Dr. Yadav and Dr. Bhadauria perform the full range of GI endoscopic procedures.

Pancreato-Biliary Disease and Endoscopic Intervention

Pancreato-biliary disease encompassing gallstone disease including common bile duct calculi, bile duct strictures, acute and chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic cysts, and the assessment of suspected biliary or pancreatic malignancy is a specific clinical focus of Dr. Arun Singh Bhadauria. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography allows direct access to the biliary and pancreatic ductal systems through a duodenoscope for both diagnostic imaging and therapeutic intervention including stone extraction, sphincterotomy, stricture dilation, and stent placement. For pancreatic fluid collections, endoscopic ultrasound-guided drainage avoids surgery in many cases. The ability to manage these conditions endoscopically, with surgery reserved for cases not amenable to endoscopic treatment, represents the current standard in biliopancreatic disease management.

Hepatology - Liver Disease and Portal Hypertension

Chronic liver disease ranging from viral hepatitis B and C, alcoholic liver disease, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, and autoimmune hepatitis and its complications constitute a substantial part of the department's clinical work. The management of portal hypertension, including variceal surveillance and ligation, ascites management, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis and hepatic encephalopathy, requires ongoing hepatological expertise rather than episodic treatment at presentation. Assessment of fibrosis progression through FibroScan and laboratory markers and decisions about antiviral therapy for hepatitis B and C are all within the hepatology scope of both Dr. Yadav and Dr. Bhadauria. Liver disease forms an explicit clinical focus of Dr. Yadav's practice alongside GI endoscopy and general gastroenterology.

The Gastroenterology Team

Dr. Hari Prasad Yadav, Associate Director, holds a DM in Gastroenterology and an MD in Medicine. His clinical practice covers GI endoscopy, general gastroenterology, and liver disease - the core triad of a broad-based gastroenterology practice. As Associate Director, he provides the departmental clinical leadership for the gastroenterology programme at Medanta Indore.

Dr. Arun Singh Bhadauria, Consultant, holds a DM in Gastroenterology from Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, an MD in Medicine from SMS Medical College, Jaipur and an MBBS from MGM Medical College, Indore. His clinical focus at Medanta Indore covers pancreato-biliary disease, hepatology, endoscopic surgery including therapeutic ERCP and EUS, and luminal gastroenterology.

FAQs

1. My bilirubin is elevated and my scan shows a dilated bile duct. What does this mean and who should I see?

   Elevated bilirubin combined with a dilated common bile duct on imaging indicates obstruction of the biliary system - the flow of bile from the liver into the duodenum is being impeded. The commonest causes are a gallstone lodged in the common bile duct, a stricture from prior inflammation or surgery and malignancy of the bile duct, pancreatic head or periampullary region. The investigation requires further imaging typically an MRCP or CT scan to characterise the site and nature of the obstruction, followed by an endoscopic assessment. Consult a gastroenterologist with expertise in pancreato-biliary disease for the subsequent management.

2. I have been diagnosed with hepatitis C. Is treatment available at Medanta Indore?

   Yes. Hepatitis C is now treatable with direct-acting antiviral agents - oral medication taken for eight to twelve weeks that achieves sustained virological response, effectively curing the infection. Treatment does not require injections or interferon. The specific regimen depends on the hepatitis C genotype, the degree of liver fibrosis and whether the patient has previously been treated. A hepatology consultation at Medanta Indore will include genotyping, fibrosis assessment and prescription of the appropriate antiviral combination. Patients who have had hepatitis C for years and have developed significant fibrosis or cirrhosis require ongoing hepatological follow-up even after successful treatment as the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma persists in the setting of established cirrhosis.

3. What is the difference between ERCP and MRCP?

   MRCP (magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography) is a non-invasive imaging modality that uses MRI to produce detailed images of the bile ducts and pancreatic duct without contrast injection or endoscopy. It is a purely diagnostic tool, used to assess the biliary and pancreatic ductal anatomy, identify the site of obstruction, and characterise stones, strictures, or ductal dilation. ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) is both diagnostic and therapeutic. It involves passing a duodenoscope through the mouth to the duodenum, cannulating the biliary or pancreatic duct and performing the necessary intervention like stone removal, sphincterotomy, stent placement or stricture dilation. MRCP is typically performed first to define the anatomy and confirm the indication; ERCP is then performed when a therapeutic intervention is required.