Blue Ridge Digestive Health is the practice of Deborah E. Levenson, M.D., a gastroenterologist who brings a unique skill set to Burke County.

Among the services Dr. Levenson and her team will be able to provide are:

  • Colorectal cancer screening with colonoscopy – includingremoval of polyps
  • Treatment of anorectal disease including hemorrhroids, in the office
  • Treatment of GERD and its complications such as Barrett’s Epithelium
  • Treatment of inflammatory bowel disease including Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis
  • Treatment of irritable bowel syndrome
  • Treatment of liver diseases including hepatitis virus (hepatitis A, B and C) as well as auto-immune hepatitis and other liver
    diseases
  • Treatment of ulcer disease
  • Treatment of other bowel disorders such as chronic constipation and diarrhea
  • Treatment of pancreatic diseases including chronic pancreatitis, acute pancreatitis, and gall stone disease.

Specific Procedures Approved to Perform:

  • Colonoscopy with polypectomy and biopsy
  • Esophagogastroduodenoscopy with biopsy, control of bleeding with endoscopic surgical clips, ERBE laser photocoagulation, and/or injection sclerotherapy
  • Band ligation of esophageal varices
  • Ablation of Barrett’s Epithelium
  • Small bowel enteroscopy with small bowel biopsy and control of bleeding
  • Infrared photocoagulation of hemorrhoids

Dr. Levenson's areas of special interest include:

  • Colorectal Cancer Screening
  • Use of new immunomodulators in the treatment of Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis
  • Gastroesophageal reflux disease and its complications: peptic stricture, Barrett’s Epithelium
  • In-office treatment of Anorectal Disease
  • Functional Bowel Disorders: Chronic Constipation, Chronic Diarrhea, Irritable Bowel Syndrome
  • Diagnosis and treatment of liver disease including Hepatitis B, C, Autoimmune Hepatitis, and Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis (Fatty Liver)
  • Disease of the pancreas such as Acute and Chronic Pancreatitis

Bibliography:

  • Levenson, DE, Soslau G. Interferon-induced modification of cellular phosphoproteins in a human colon cancer cell lines. J. Cell Biol. 99: 356, 1984.
  • Levenson, DE, Arndt KA, Stern RS. Cutaneous manifestations of adverse drug reactions. In Paul P. Van Aradel, Jr. (Ed.) Drug Allergy. Allergy and Immunology Clinics of North America. 11(3): 493-509, 1991.
  • Levenson DE, Steinberg WM. HemeSelect vs. hemoccult II in the diagnosis of colorectal cancer: a multicenter trial. Gastroenterology 104(4, Suppl.): A420, 1993.
  • Levenson DE, Fromm H. 10 g of fat per day may help keep gallstones away. Gastroenterology 104(6): 1880-1881, 1993.
  • Levenson DE, Fromm H. Medical management of diseases of the gallbladder. In Hepatology: A Textbook of Liver Disease, Volume II, 3rd Edition (1998) 1877-1897. David Zakim and Thomas Boyer, Eds. WB Saunders, Philadelphia, PA.

Presentations:

  • May 1993 DDW, AGA Poster Session. HemeSelect vs. Hemoccult II in the diagnosis of colorectal cancer: a multicenter trial.
  • May 1994, AGA Poster Session. Ursodeoxycholic acid stimulates the translocation of protein kinase C from the cytosol to the membrane of isolated hamster hepatocytes.
Blue Ridge Digestive Health will initially operate out of the Professional Office Building adjacent to the Surgery Center at Grace Hospital. By the end of 2008, our offices will move into a new suite in the Medical Office Building near the Emergency Department at Grace Hospital. Our office officially opens June 2, 2008 - though appointments will be taken during the month of May.