Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

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Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis — is a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestine, which can cause debilitating symptoms and negatively impact a patients' quality of life. The Jill Roberts Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and the IBD Center at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center are renowned programs offering comprehensive diagnosis, treatment, and support for people with IBD and their families.

When you come to us for your care, you can be assured you are receiving personalized treatment based on the latest medical advances from a team of IBD experts researching ways to improve IBD therapies for all patients. Our goal is to help you achieve wellness and high quality of life despite IBD.

Whom we treat

We care for people with:

Ulcerative colitis. Inflammation of the innermost lining of the large intestine (colon or rectum).
Crohn's disease. Inflammation that usually involves the lining and walls of the small intestine, most often the lower part called the "ileum." It may also affect the large intestine and other parts of the digestive system and spread deep into the tissue.

A team of IBD specialists for every need

The care of people with IBD is complex and requires a team with a deep understanding of IBD and its physical, medical, and emotional impact. At NewYork-Presbyterian, your IBD care team includes gastroenterologists, surgeons, nurses, registered dietitians, psychologists, and others with the compassion and experience to care for people with IBD. Your team puts together a plan of care customized to your needs and preferences. Nurse navigators organize and expedite your tests, procedures, and therapies.

Sometimes the inflammation of IBD affects other parts of your body. If this is the case, we can refer you to our multi-disciplinary NewYork-Presbyterian specialists with experience in treating patients with IBD, such as ophthalmologists and rheumatologists, dermatologists, and infectious disease specialists.

Comprehensive diagnostic testing

Other digestive illnesses may also cause the symptoms of IBD. As a result, we will conduct several tests to determine if you have IBD. These may include:

Blood tests
Stool analyses
Comprehensive imaging of your digestive tract
Upper endoscopy to examine the inside of your esophagus, stomach, or duodenum (upper part of the small intestine).
Sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, or pouchoscopy to view either the lower part of your large intestine (sigmoid colon) or your entire large intestine to look for inflammation or bleeding, using a flexible scope. If necessary, your doctor may take a small tissue sample (biopsy) from the lining of your intestine for examination.
Video capsule endoscopy or balloon-assisted enteroscopy to assess disease activity of traditionally hard to reach areas of the small intestine.

All of these tests are available at each of our NewYork-Presbyterian campuses.

Nutritional counseling

People with IBD may find that certain foods make their symptoms worse. When you have IBD, you also need to make sure you get enough nutritious food to support your health. Working with your gastroenterologist, a registered dietitian can help you identify foods you should avoid and make sure that you are eating and absorbing enough food to meet your nutritional needs.

Guidance about lifestyle changes

You may find that relieving stress helps ease your symptoms. People with Crohn's disease who smoke may have fewer symptoms if they quit. We have programs to help you manage stress and, if you smoke, quit. NewYork-Presbyterian offers stress management and lifestyle optimization services through our Integrative Health and Well-being program. Our therapies can help to promote relaxation, reduce stress and anxiety, and relieve your symptoms.

Psychosocial support

We understand how IBD symptoms can affect your life, including relationships with your family members and others, your ability to travel and pursue leisure activities, and perhaps even your career choice. Our psychologists provide emotional care, one-on-one and through support groups. We also offer educational programs to help you live the best life you can with IBD.

Medications for IBD

A variety of medicines are available to treat people with IBD, depending on your disease type and symptoms. You may receive anti-inflammatory drugs, steroids, antibiotics, probiotics, drugs that suppress the immune response, or biological drugs (which block the inflammation-promoting proteins causing IBD symptoms).

If your medication is given intravenously (as biological drugs typically are), you can receive them in our comfortable and modern infusion centers, under the care of our compassionate and experienced nurses. Infusion therapies for IBD also include iron infusions for IBD-associated anemia, stem cell infusion therapy, medications for controlling chronic pain, intravenous hydration, and nutrition therapy.

Minimally invasive IBD surgery

If dietary and lifestyle changes and medications are not enough to control your IBD symptoms, surgery may be necessary. Whenever possible, we use minimally invasive laparoscopy, which is associated with smaller incisions, less discomfort after surgery, and a speedier recovery than open abdominal surgery. Our colorectal surgeons have pioneered IBD surgical approaches used today and offer resection (removal of diseased intestinal tissue), strictureplasty to open intestines narrowed by scar tissue, and removal of the colon and rectum if needed.

Reconstructive intestinal surgery, such as ileal pouch surgery and pouch revision surgery, is available to maintain bowel function whenever possible. If an ostomy is required, our ostomy nurses support patients and their families adjusting to life with this bag worn outside the abdomen to collect waste.

Endoscopic therapy for IBD

NewYork-Presbyterian is the leading center in the US offering endoscopic therapy for various IBD complications, including strictures, fistula, and abscesses.

Comprehensive management of ileal pouch disorders

NewYork-Presbyterian's Center for Ileal Pouch Disorders is one of the best in the US, providing comprehensive medical, endoscopic, and surgical management of pouchitis, Crohn's disease of the pouch, pouch obstruction.

Follow-up care for a lifetime

People with IBD are at risk for colorectal cancer and osteoporosis and may have other digestive disorders due to inflammatory malabsorption. Your team will provide you with the monitoring you need to find cancer early if it does arise and manage any complications. Because IBD tends to run in families, genetic counseling is available for your family members who may be concerned about their risk.

Clinical trials for IBD

NewYork-Presbyterian investigators are conducting clinical trials to assess innovative therapies for IBD. You may have the opportunity to participate in a clinical study evaluating a promising new treatment. If you are interested in learning more about current trials at NewYork-Presbyterian and other facilities across the nation, visit our Clinical Trials section.