860.545.9000 | Our Locations

Center for Neurogastroenterology and Motility Disorders

Dr. Baker and patientThe Center for Neurogastroenterology and Motility Disorders at Connecticut Children’s is dedicated to treating and medically managing children with a wide array of complex gastrointestinal motility and sensation issues. A multidisciplinary team of expert specialists approaches each child with the primary goal of diagnosing and improving your child’s symptoms using sophisticated diagnostic testing and therapeutic strategies.

What is Neurogastroenterology and Gastrointestinal Motility?

Neurogastroenterology focuses on the connection of the nerves between the brain and the gut. The nerves in the GI tract communicate with nerves from the brain, which aid in regulating its functions.

Gastrointestinal (GI) motility is the term used to describe how the GI tract moves food throughout your body using muscle contractions controlled by nerves.

Children can have issues with food passing too slowly through their bodies (resulting in constipation) or too fast (leading to diarrhea). The nerves in the GI tract not only help with moving food but also with how the GI tract senses food. Sometimes children have increased sensation (hypersensitivity), which can result in functional disorders such as abdominal pain and irritable bowel syndrome.

Personalized Therapeutic Care

Using state-of-the-art diagnostic tools and with interdisciplinary collaboration, our experts offer personalized care for your child’s conditions.

Conditions We Treat

Our specialists treat a large variety of diagnoses such as disorders of the gut-brain interaction (DGBI), primary motility disorders, motility issues secondary to associated diagnoses, as well as therapy-related complications. These include but are not limited to:

  • Abdominal migraine
  • Achalasia
  • Anorectal malformations
  • Colonic dysmotility
  • Constipation
  • Cyclic vomiting disorder
  • Diarrhea
  • Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing)
  • Fecal incontinence
  • Feeding intolerance
  • Functional abdominal pain
  • Functional Dyspepsia
  • Functional Nausea
  • Gastroesophageal reflux disorder
  • Gastroparesis
  • Hirschsprung disease
  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
  • Pseudo-obstruction
  • Rumination syndrome

Interventions and Procedures Available at Connecticut Children’s

We currently offer advanced diagnostic and therapeutic tests for a large variety of symptoms:

  • Anorectal manometry
  • Anal sphincter Botox® injections
  • Esophageal manometry
  • IB-Stim
  • pH/pH-impedance monitoring

Specialized Clinics and Programs with Motility Involvement

Meet Our Team

The Center for Neurogastroenterology and Motility Disorders comprises a multidisciplinary team led by motility specialist Corey Baker, MD and includes physicians, psychologists, advanced nurse practitioners, child life specialists, dietitians and social workers. This multidisciplinary approach allows personalized care tailored to your child’s symptoms and needs.

The Center works closely with other pediatric specialists from Connecticut Children’s ENT, psychology, physical therapy, pulmonary and pediatric surgery teams.

Back to Top
Searching Animation
Searching