Gastroenterology

Gastroenterology is the field of medicine covering diseases of the digestive system. Gastroenterologists diagnose, treat, and manage conditions of the oesophagus, stomach, intestines, liver, pancreas, and gallbladder.

Gastroenterology specialists see patients most often for gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GeRD), GI cancer, pancreatic cancer, hepatitis, cirrhosis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), colitis, Crohn's disease, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Symptoms of diseases that are caused by digestive problems include constipation, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, heartburn, indigestion, rectal bleeding, weight loss, and abdominal pain.

Dr Ashdown provides outpatient clinical services at Noble’s Hospital and Ramsey District Cottage Hospital Clinic Sessions, Nobles take place on Monday afternoons and Tuesday mornings.

Ramsey Cottage Hospital is attended on Wednesday afternoon when Dr Ashdown attends a clinic session.

His endoscopy sessions at Noble’s are on Wednesday and Friday mornings. At Noble’s Hospital the medical endoscopy service provides diagnostic and therapeutic gastroscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy. A capsule endoscopy service is provided at Ramsey District Cottage Hospital.

Dr Ashdown trained in London and has a broad range of sub-specialty experience. He spent time working on Liver Units at the Royal Free, King’s College Hospital and University College Hospital London.

He also spent time working on the Pancreato-biliary unit at University College Hospital and in Mumbai, India. He looks after amongst other conditions hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, celiac disease, complex inflammatory bowel disease and patients with irritable bowel syndrome and abdominal pain.

He looks after inpatients with general medical problems.