Casco Bay Gastroenterology

By Elizabeth Webster
Freelance Writer

The experienced doctors at Casco Bay Gastroenterology in South Portland have long proven that they’ve been on the right track in preventing, diagnosing, and treating diseases of the digestive tract and liver.
Patients turn to Dr. Harold Sullivan and Dr. Nicholas Golden if they have difficulty with swallowing or digestion, bleeding from the intestinal tract, abdominal pain, or bowel trouble including diarrhea or constipation. Both doctors, board certified in gastroenterology for nearly two decades, are also known for providing pain-free colon cancer screenings and colonoscopies.
Conveniently located at 25 Long Creek Drive, off Western Avenue, Casco Bay Gastroenterology was the first practice in Maine to offer both wireless capsule endoscopy and non-acid reflux testing.
With capsule endoscopy, a patient swallows a capsule containing a tiny camera, and as the capsule passes painlessly through the body, the camera takes 140,000 images, providing physicians with a video of the small intestine. Capsule endoscopy is used to help identify tumors and Crohn’s disease. CBG has been performing esophageal function and pH probe testing for several years with state-of-the-art equipment from Sandhill and the “Sleuth” probe for non-acid reflux testing. Esophageal function testing evaluates muscular contractions of the esophagus in patients with swallowing disorders and in patients with Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease.
CBG is committed to excellence with its own endoscopy center, which was carefully inspected by the national peer review organization, AAAHC, and in the summer of 2005, achieved the highest award – a three-year accreditation. In the summer of 2008, after another inspection, CBG received another three-year certification. Dr. Sullivan and Dr. Golden also perform some procedures at area hospitals.
The doctors and staff at CBG recognize the importance of a good bedside manner. They know that patients are worried about their procedures and understand that the more time that they spend with them, explaining things, the more smoothly a procedure will go. CBG’s patient satisfaction surveys show that this extra time with patients pays dividends. Patients rave about the excellent staff and wonderful care that they received. “Excellent in every way – staff was extremely courteous and sensitive to my needs making a dreaded procedure pleasant,” wrote one patient.
Both doctors say that they would definitely send their own family members to CBG for treatment. “We try to treat each patient with the utmost of compassion and caring, using the best equipment and techniques available,” stated Dr. Sullivan. “We make every attempt to see our patients quickly and go the extra mile to provide to them what they need, when they need it, and not make them wait weeks or months,” added Dr. Golden.
Currently, only 50 percent of the people who should have a colonoscopy have had one. Doctors say that most people should have a colonoscopy at age 50, unless there’s a family history of colon disease, and then the physician may recommend a much earlier screening. In addition, doctors point out that Hepatitis C is on the rise. CBG evaluates and treats Hep C, and does liver biopsies in its endoscopy center.
Moreover, CBG, which accepts all types of insurance, has one leg up on its competition by offering appointments within two weeks to new patients and providing endoscopies on Saturdays.
Casco Bay Gastroenterology
25 Long Creek Drive
S. Portland, Maine