Iowa Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center

Integrated Treatment Approach for Adults and Children

The Iowa Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center (IBD Center) offers integrated patient-centered care for adult and pediatric patients in need of treatment for inflammatory bowel diseases including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The Iowa IBD Center is a collaborative initiative of the Iowa Digestive Disease Center, the Colorectal Surgeons of the Iowa Clinic, the Children’s Center at Mercy Pediatric Subspecialty Clinic and Mercy Medical Center — Des Moines.

The Center offers a complete array of services from diagnosis to treatment programs, surgical procedures and follow-up care. Patients also have access to a complementary ancillary staff including pharmacists, enterostomal therapists, social workers and nutrition/metabolic support specialists who can help speed up the return to productive daily life. The IBD Center staff consults with referring primary care physicians, general surgeons and gastroenterologists. Together we work to develop an individualized plan for comprehensive disease management so patients can gain control of their disease.

Evaluation

With 70 years of combined expertise in treating patients with IBD, the Center offers adult and pediatric gastroenterologists, as well as colorectal and pediatric surgeons to provide specialized treatment programs for patients. Services and scheduling are centralized to meet a patient or family’s needs. Each patient will receive a complete evaluation including:

  • Patient interview
  • Physical examination
  • Laboratory and diagnostic testing to stage disease extent and activity
  • Discussion of surgical options when necessary
  • Access to a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach to disease management

Diagnosis

The Iowa IBD Center uses services at Mercy Medical Center — Des Moines, a regional leader in patient care, the Iowa Digestive Disease Center, the Iowa Clinic Colorectal Surgery Clinic and the Children’s Center at Mercy Pediatric Subspecialty Clinic. The Center provides patients access to state-of-the-art endoscopic procedures and radiologic imaging studies to visually examine and stage disease activity.

Treatment and Research

IBD Center physicians provide the latest treatment modalities as well as access to new drug protocols and surgical techniques. The IBD Center remains at the forefront of bringing new therapies to the patient in a timely or accelerated manner. In addition, an Iowa IBD Family Registry will be developed to better track trends in disease risk, presentation and severity. Physicians will also be welcome to submit data to the Registry if they are caring for more than one IBD patient in a family. The IBD Center is actively involved in national and international medical trials. Patients who meet the qualifications of these trials, and consent to being involved, have access to treatments not widely available.

Surgery

If surgery is necessary, the IBD Center offers board certified, fellowship trained colorectal and pediatric suIrgeons. IBD Center surgeons offer patients leading edge surgical options including:

  • Minimally invasive laparoscopic procedures
  • Ileal Pouch Anal
  • Anastomosis “J-Pouch” procedure
  • Stricturoplasty bowel preserving technique
  • Sphincter preserving procedures
  • Advanced fistula treatment options
  • Standard procedures including the Brooke ileostomy

IBD Education and Support

A cornerstone of the management of patients with IBD and their families is education and support. The IBD Center Coordinator will work with patients and families to provide resource materials, support group meeting opportunities, patient education services and links to reputable national associations for adults and children with IBD. The Iowa Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patient Education and Research Fund is dedicated to meeting these needs.