Webster's New World Medical Dictionary

ganglion
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percent of patients with GERD also have hiatal her-
nias. Treatment may involve the use of antacids or
medications to decrease acid production or acceler-
ate stomach emptying. See also 
Barrett esophagus,
hiatal hernia.
gastrointestinal stromal tumor
A type of
tumor that usually begins in cells in the wall of the
gastrointestinal tract. It can be benign or malignant.
Abbreviated GIST. Malignant GISTs can occur from
the esophagus to the rectum, but occur most com-
monly in the stomach and small intestine. Treatment
for GIST includes STI571 (Gleevec), the first
approved drug to directly turn off the signal of a
protein known to cause a cancer.
gastrointestinal tract
The stomach and intes-
tines. Abbreviated GI tract.
gastroparesis
A disease of the muscles of the
stomach or the nerves controlling the muscles that
causes the muscles to stop working. Gastroparesis
results in inadequate grinding of food by the stom-
ach and poor emptying of food from the stomach
into the intestine. Gastroparesis may be associated
with paralysis of the small intestine and colon. The
most common underlying cause is diabetes mellitus.
Gastroparesis is diagnosed via gastric emptying
study. It is usually treated with medications that
stimulate the stomach muscle to contract.
gastroscope
A flexible, lighted instrument that is
put through the mouth and esophagus to view the
stomach. Tissue from the stomach can be removed
through a gastroscope.
gastrostomy
A surgical opening into the stom-
ach. A gastrostomy may be used for feeding, usually
via a feeding tube called a gastrostomy tube. Feeding
can also be done through a percutaneous endo-
scopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube.