American Gastroenterological Association medical position statement on anorectal testing techniques. American Gastroenterological Association

This document presents the official recommendations of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) on Anorectal Testing Techniques. It was approved by the Clinical Practice and Practice Economics Committee on May 17, 1998, and by the AGA Governing Board on July 24, 1998.     

American Gastroenterological Association medical position statement: Irritable bowel syndrome

The following guidelines were developed to assist the physician in the diagnosis and management of patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). They emanate from a comprehensive review of the medical literature pertaining to IBS.¹ The IBS is a combination of chronic or recurrent gastrointestinal symptoms not explained by structural or biochemical abnormalities, which is attributed to the intestines and associated with symptoms of pain and disturbed defecation and/or symptoms of bloatedness and distension.GASTROENTEROLOGY 1997;112:2118-2119     

American Gastroenterological Association medical position statement: Diagnosis and treatment of hemorrhoids

This document presents the official recommendations of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) on Hemorrhoids. It was approved by the Clinical Practice Committee on January 8, 2004, and by the AGA Governing Board on February 13, 2004.     

American Gastroenterological Association medical position statement: diagnosis and treatment of gastroparesis

This document presents the official recommendations of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) on Diagnosis and Treatment of Gastroparesis. It was approved by the Clinical Practice Committee on May 16, 2004, and by the AGA Governing Board on September 23, 2004.     

American Gastroenterological Association medical position statement: Guidelines on the use of esophageal pH recording

The following guidelines were developed to assist the physician in the appropriate use of esophageal pH recording in patient care. They emanate from a comprehensive review of the medical literature pertaining to the pH recording technique.¹ Esophageal pH recording is widely available and, when done in a technically appropriate manner, provides quantitative data on both esophageal acid exposure and on the temporal correlation between patient symptoms and reflux events. Despite these strengths, the inherent weakness of the technique is its inability to prove causality between symptoms or syndromes and acid reflux events. Alternatively, causality is reasonably assumed in clinical practice by the substantial reduction or elimination of suspected reflux symptoms during a therapeutic trial of a proton pump inhibitor. In view of this viable alternative, the major indications for esophageal pH monitoring are in documenting the failure of either medical or surgical therapy. This position statement should help the clinician apply esophageal pH studies most beneficially within the context of other clinical options.GASTROENTEROLOGY 1996;110-1981