The unit provides care and pursues education and research relating to diseases of the liver and biliary tract. The hepatology subspecialty primarily involves work-up prior to liver transplant, diagnosis and treatment of primary liver tumors, advanced treatment of portal hypertension, as well as follow-up and therapy of complicated cholestatic hepatic disease (e.g., primary sclerosing cholangitis).
In addition, we care for patients with chronic viral hepatitis (in collaboration with the infectious disease clinic) and metabolic liver disease. We are the national center for liver transplantation and work in close collaboration with transplantation surgery, pediatric, and anesthesiology departments.
Process-oriented tumor services are provided together with the Upper Abdominal Surgery Section and the Department of Transplantation Surgery. The unit conducts extensive clinical research into cholestatic liver disease, metabolic liver disease, biliary metabolism, and mechanisms underlying liver inflammation and development of cirrhosis.
The unit offers extensive endoscopic services at three locations in the Stockholm area. In addition to conventional endoscopy (gastroscopy and colonoscopy), the hospitals in Solna and Huddinge also offer therapeutic measures as well as ultrasound endoscopy.
The Liljeholm outpatient clinic focuses on diagnostic studies. New endoscopic techniques such as confocal endoscopy and capsule endoscopy enable refined diagnosis of conditions throughout the gastrointestinal tract and are also an important element in research and development initiatives carried out by the units.
The unit conducts research and development and provides care and education about inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and microscopic colitis. We care for about 4,000 patients with these diagnoses. The majority can be treated with medications alone and most of these patients receive treatment within the framework of our extensive outpatient and day care services.
Both Huddinge and Solna have inpatient beds and both hospitals provide integrated care with their surgical departments. In addition, we also have a close collaboration with the colorectal surgeons, including through telemedicine conferences since surgery is an important complement to pharmacological treatment. The highly specialized care includes treatment with biological medications, which have become an increasingly common alternative, especially for Crohn’s disease, as well as certain types of surgery. In addition, we participate in a large number of clinical trials involving new treatment principles for IBD.
Our vision is to be the leading center in Europe for diagnostic classification, etiological diagnosis, care, and treatment of patients with gastrointestinal motility disorders.
Diseases that afflict the various functions of the gastrointestinal tract are worked up and treated at the section's Solna and Huddinge units. Work-up of intestinal function is conducted at the units' two laboratories for physiological studies, Gastro Lab Solna and Gastro Lab Huddinge.
Common Diagnoses
- Irritable bowel syndrom
- Functional dyspepsia
- Lactose intolerance
- Celiac disease (gluten allergy)
- Intestinal dysmotility
- Intestinal pseudo-obstruction
- Gastroparesis
- Chronic pancreatitis
- Bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine
- Motility disorders in neurologic disease