Best Gastroenterologists in Lucknow | Stomach & Liver Specialists

Liver disease is underdiagnosed and undertreated across India. Viral hepatitis B and C affect millions and many of whom do not know. Fatty liver disease, driven by diabetes and metabolic syndrome, is becoming one of the commonest causes of cirrhosis seen in gastroenterology clinics. And cirrhosis, once it reaches a certain stage, creates a cascade of complications like ascites, variceal bleeding, hepatic encephalopathy, and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis - each of which requires a hepatologist to manage well. By the time most patients reach a liver specialist, the disease has been running for years.

Medanta Lucknow's Department of Digestive and Hepatobiliary Sciences covers the full scope of gastroenterology and hepatology ranging from diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy including ERCP and EUS, to inflammatory bowel disease management, GI physiology and motility assessment, pancreatology, and the full spectrum of liver disease through to transplant hepatology. 

What the Department Covers

Therapeutic Endoscopy: ERCP, EUS, and EMR

ERCP accesses the bile duct and pancreatic duct through an endoscope, allowing stones to be removed, strictures to be stented, and bile leaks to be sealed without surgery. EUS (endoscopic ultrasound) images structures adjacent to the GI tract from within, and in therapeutic mode allows drainage of pancreatic fluid collections, guided biopsy of lesions inaccessible by standard means, and assessment of bile duct pathology. EMR (endoscopic mucosal resection) removes superficial lesions from the bowel wall without the need for open surgery. Both Dr. Alok Kumar and Dr. Alok Kumar Singh list ERCP and EUS within their practice.

GI Physiology, Motility, and Functional Bowel Disease

Motility disorders and functional bowel conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, functional dyspepsia, constipation that does not respond to standard management, oesophageal dysmotility, and achalasia require GI physiology assessment rather than just endoscopy. Manometry measures pressure within the oesophagus and anorectum. Breath tests, gastric emptying studies, and anorectal physiology testing all fall within GI physiology. Dr. Abhai Verma lists GI physiology and motility as a specific clinical focus alongside IBD and therapeutic endoscopy - a combination that gives the department capability in both the structural and functional ends of GI medicine.

Pancreatology

Acute and chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic cysts, pancreatic duct dilation, and the assessment of pancreatic lesions including those suspicious for malignancy sit within pancreatology. Dr. Alok Kumar lists pancreatology as a specific area, which alongside his ERCP and EUS expertise means the department can manage both the diagnostic workup and the endoscopic treatment of pancreatic conditions in the same unit.

Hepatology and Liver Disease

Viral hepatitis B and C, chronic liver disease from alcoholic, metabolic, and autoimmune causes, the complications of cirrhosis, acute-on-chronic liver failure, and the assessment and management of patients who may be candidates for liver transplant: all of this falls within the hepatology scope of the department. Dr. Alok Kumar Singh covers liver and transplant hepatology alongside his endoscopy work. Dr. Himanshu Gupta focuses exclusively on hepatology - fatty liver disease both non-alcoholic and alcoholic, viral hepatitis, liver failure, and transplant hepatology with a DM in Hepatology from CMC Vellore, one of the most competitive postgraduate hepatology programmes in the country.

The Gastroenterology Team

Dr. Abhai Verma, Director, brings subspecialty focus to IBD, therapeutic endoscopy, GI physiology and motility, and functional bowel disorders. The physiology and motility focus is clinically distinct - it reflects training and interest in the non-structural, non-inflammatory causes of GI symptoms that a significant proportion of patients present with, and which are underserved in most gastroenterology departments.

Dr. Alok Kumar, Senior Consultant, focuses on diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy (ERCP, EUS, EMR) and pancreatology. His scope reflects a procedurally oriented practice built around the complex endoscopic and biliopancreatic cases that are the harder end of gastroenterology work. Dr. Alok Kumar Singh, Consultant, focuses on both endoscopy and hepatology and liver and transplant hepatology. That breadth, across what are usually distinct subspecialty lanes is unusual.

Dr. Himanshu Gupta, Associate Consultant, practice covers the spectrum of chronic and acute liver disease: NAFLD, alcoholic liver disease, viral hepatitis, liver failure, and transplant hepatology.

FAQs

1. My ultrasound shows fatty liver with mild fibrosis. What should I do next?

   Mild fibrosis on ultrasound or fibroscan is a signal that the liver has already moved beyond simple fat accumulation and that some degree of scarring is present. It does not mean cirrhosis is inevitable, but it means the window for active intervention is now not later. A hepatology consultation will assess your current liver function, quantify the degree of fibrosis more precisely, identify whether the underlying cause is metabolic, alcoholic, or mixed, and create a management plan. Weight loss, metabolic control, and in some cases specific pharmacological treatment are all part of managing NAFLD-related fibrosis before it progresses.

2. I have been told I need an ERCP. Is it available at Medanta Lucknow?

   Yes. Both Dr. Alok Kumar and Dr. Alok Kumar Singh perform ERCP at Medanta Lucknow. ERCP is done under sedation and an endoscope is passed through the mouth to the duodenum. The bile duct or pancreatic duct is entered through a catheter, and the necessary intervention is performed under X-ray guidance. Bile duct stone removal, stent placement for bile duct strictures and drainage of blocked ducts are the most common indications. It is an outpatient or short-stay procedure in most cases, with patients typically discharged the following day.

3. What is the difference between a gastroenterologist and a hepatologist?

   A gastroenterologist manages the full digestive tract including the oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, biliary system, and pancreas alongside the liver. A hepatologist focuses specifically on the liver and biliary system, with additional depth in the management of chronic liver disease, liver failure, and liver transplant. In India, hepatology is typically practised within gastroenterology departments rather than as a standalone speciality. The distinction matters when the primary problem is the liver - in which case a physician with a DM specifically in Hepatology, as Dr. Gupta holds, brings deeper subspecialty grounding than a general gastroenterologist managing liver cases as part of a broader practice.