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Gastroenterologist
updated: Jul 26, 2012, 1:53 PM

Seeking recommendation of a good gastroenterologist in town for a colonoscopy and endoscopy, preferably with anaesthesia. Input on where they do the procedure is also welcome. Thank you.

Places People Are Talking About:

Dr. Aguirre	Dr. Bentley	Dr. Gary M. Van Deventer
Dr. Karnes	Dr. Kovaks	Dr. William Hahn

What People Are Saying:

COMMENT 301718	2012-07-26 01:58 PM
Dr Hahn at Sansum, very competent and personal. The procedure is done at their Pueblo St Clinic.
COMMENT 301720	2012-07-26 01:59 PM
Dr. William Hahn, Sansum on Pueblo. My colonoscopy was a piece of cake.
AUNTIE S.	2012-07-26 02:08 PM
Dr. Kovaks is great
COMMENT 301731	2012-07-26 02:09 PM
Dr. Bentley...he's great.
COMMENT 301732	2012-07-26 02:09 PM
Kovaks is wonderful!
COMMENT 301740	2012-07-26 02:24 PM
Kovaks
COMMENT 301745	2012-07-26 02:27 PM
I had a bad experience with Kovaks so I would recommend someone else. He tried to diagnose me with Crohn's disease but I got a few other opinions. 3 years later, still no Crohn's.
COMMENT 301746	2012-07-26 02:27 PM
Out of the recommended Doc's, which has the smallest fingers?
COMMENT 301749	2012-07-26 02:29 PM
Anyone but DeRosa.
COMMENT 301752P	2012-07-26 02:33 PM
I sooo want to answer the question "where they do the procedure"...
COMMENT 301753	2012-07-26 02:37 PM
Dr. Gary M. Van Deventer ... very thorough, gives you lots of time to describe your symptoms. Does procedure at surgery center by Trader Joe's on De La Vina. I had both sides done, never felt a thing.
COMMENT 301755P	2012-07-26 02:42 PM
Dr. Bentley - simply the best in the county
COMMENT 301758P	2012-07-26 02:43 PM
I'm not the OP but could use some advice. My first ever colonoscopy was as an outpatient at Cottage. Hooked me up to an IV ... was a breeze. Subsequent colonoscopies -- at Sansum Clinic -- have involved the pain medication being administered through a plastic device inserted in my arm. No hookup. All of these colonscopies have been painful. What should I be requesting so that this procedure doesn't hurt.
COMMENT 301774P	2012-07-26 03:04 PM
I also had a good experience with Gary Van Deventer. SB Surgery Center billing department, though, was a pain in the derrier. The difference between the insurance coding for a "screening" vs. "diagnostic" procedure is more than $700.
COMMENT 301775P	2012-07-26 03:05 PM
I've had Dr. Aguirre do this a couple of times. He's a good guy and does both upper and lower at the same time. They have a surgical center on Micheltorena Street, but his office is over by Oak Park. @758 - That's a real drag. Did you have the same anesthesiologist each time? I'd request a different one through your doctor. I've never remembered any discomfort during these procedures.
COMMENT 301781	2012-07-26 03:15 PM
Dr. Bentley is great, has a lot of experience and does the procedures at Cottage Hospital WITH sedation typically!
COMMENT 301786	2012-07-26 03:25 PM
Have you been food shopping at the .99 cent store?
COMMENT 301789	2012-07-26 03:29 PM
Please, don't go with anyone else but Dr. Karnes. He's the only true world-class gastro in town.
COMMENT 301794P	2012-07-26 03:35 PM
@720: Ewwwwww!! Cake! Really?? Is that supposed to happen?
COMMENT 301806	2012-07-26 03:53 PM
Dr. Karnes is fabulous 789...but he's in Irvine now!
COMMENT 301813P	2012-07-26 04:04 PM
I had a good experience with DeRosa.
COMMENT 301814	2012-07-26 04:04 PM
Dr. Karnes. Absolutely the best. Do yourself a favor. Seriously.
COMMENT 301824P	2012-07-26 04:14 PM
Dr. Gary M. Van Deventer is a most thorough physician. He also does the procedure at Cottage. I had it done there twice. I highly recommend him and Cottage Hospital.
MTNDRIVER	2012-07-26 04:16 PM
Also highly recommend Dr. Gary Vandeventer, very thorough, asks lots of questions, actually spends time with you! And he's done thousands of colonoscopies.
COMMENT 301832P	2012-07-26 04:28 PM
After going to several G.P.'s in town and 3 G.I.'s some of them listed above and complaining of severe diarrhea and cramps for over 10 years and being told I had IBS and that it was all "in my head" and to go see a therapist, one of the afore mentioned doctors just patted me on the should and said "you will have to learn to live with it dear" I finally went to Dr. John Petrini. He was great! He took me in his office and sat down with me listened to me and said he would find out what was wrong with me. I went in for a colonoscopy and a biopsy and low and behold there truly was something wrong with me that ONLY a biopsy would find which it seems none of the other doctors were willing to do. He has been treating me for over 3 years and my life has improved immensely. His nurse Judy is great too!
COMMENT 301852	2012-07-26 04:47 PM
First, do you want drugs or not? You can have it done with no drugs and be on your way without needing a driver when it's over. If that sounds good to you, Dr. Petrini is amazing. He is very talented and can make this unappealing experience almost interesting. If you want drugs to take the edge off but be aware and awake enough to know what's going on (conscious sedation) either Dr. Petrini or Dr. Van Deventer are great choices. If you want to be asleep and blissfully unaware of what it going on, you'll need to go to the surgery center by Trader Joe's or to Cottage so that an anesthesiologist can give you Propofol. Some gastroenterologists are more willing to set up cases with anesthesia than others. Dr. Van Deventer is a great choice and goes to both locations. Propofol, when used responsibly is incredibly safe and wears off very quickly. When the procedure is done, you are almost totally awake and don't feel groggy at all (unlike conscious sedation).
COMMENT 301886	2012-07-26 05:31 PM
Unlike others I could not call the experience wonderful. You are anesthetized so that you feel no pain. A major issue is the prep work where you drink a gallon of super laxative. You don't dare get more than 30 seconds distant from the toilet. The 15 minute drive to the hospital is living on the edge of disaster.
COMMENT 301907	2012-07-26 06:11 PM
Dr. Gary Vandeventer is the best. I have had several procedures (endoscopies and coloniscopies) with him and he extremely kind, competent and thorough. I highly recommend him.
COMMENT 301925	2012-07-26 07:10 PM
I think the prep was the best part. It was absolutely hilarious. If you need to go to Sansum, I liked Dr Petrini. Not Egan
COMMENT 301926	2012-07-26 07:10 PM
I've only had one experience with Dr. Petrini, but I do remember him as a very good doctor who listened to my experiences carefully. He did a mamonometry (don't recall how to spell it), measuring the pressure down my esophagus as I swallowed. He discovered that my esophagus was spasming (called it "Nutcracker Esophagus"). I had been to a LOT of docs before him, done the barometric swallow, a colonoscopy... and he got it right in one visit. I still have the problem occasionally but now that I know what's happening, I just relax it out. I consider him an intelligent, thorough doctor. Good luck!
COMMENT 301947	2012-07-26 07:57 PM
Dr Rosas
COMMENT 301975P	2012-07-26 08:30 PM
I had a serious complication from J. Egan, and poor care.
COMMENT 301988P	2012-07-26 09:33 PM
Again, not the OP. Good info regarding drug choices and what specific doctors prefer. Gives me some useful info when I go for my next colonoscopy. Thanks, Edhatters.
COMMENT 302041P	2012-07-27 07:59 AM
I've had four colonscopies: Three in L.A. with docs who didn't ask me but used full anesthetic (spelling?); the fourth with Dr. Bentley, who has a great reputation, at his clinic, but he had to cut it short coz it was under "waking sedation." No such animal as far as I was concerned - yikes! He did the second one at Cottage while I was fast asleep - much better. Good luck!
COMMENT 302058	2012-07-27 08:26 AM
Had my 1st c'scopy a couple of months ago with Dr. Petrini. While this is not exactly a peak experience, the actual procedure was easy.....a couple of polyps were removed and a process I had dreaded and delayed for 10 years was over and done with. The prep--drinking all the cleansing stuff to get ready--is not fun, but having gone through the procedure and knowing that all is "well" is a great feeling.
SBALAX	2012-07-27 08:26 AM
Dr. Petrini. You'll recognize him from the television ads for the free colonoscopies provided by a substantial gift from Virgil Elings.
COMMENT 302075	2012-07-27 08:42 AM
I've had two colonoscopies and one endoscopy with Dr. Bentley in the clinic on W. Micheltorena St. He is gentle and competent and I would not go to anyone else.
COMMENT 302120	2012-07-27 10:04 AM
Dr. Petrini asks good questions and really listens, ordered appropriate tests for a differential diagnosis for two family members - we like him a lot! Also, Dr. Kovaks is good too!
COMMENT 302160	2012-07-27 11:00 AM
Dr Aguirre did my colonoscopy, and he was great. I put it off for several years because I just didn't want to do it, but it really wasn't as terrible as I imagined. The worst part for me was drinking that nasty stuff ahead of time! Use Crystal Light to try to improve the taste (marginally effective), and if possible have a bathroom all to yourself. Don't delay doing this procedure, you really do not want to have colon cancer!
COMMENT 302161	2012-07-27 11:03 AM
Dr. Hahn at Sansum--an incredible listener and observer. Really takes his time to understand your history. (Has helped me to identify and cure a health issue I've had for years, that 5 specialists throughout CA could not-- literally!) Although, have heard that other recommended names on here are great too.
COMMENT 302182	2012-07-27 11:22 AM
Dr. Petrini and Dr. Vandeventer are both great endoscopists but Dr. Vandeventer is also a master diagnostician. Plus, you will never feel rushed while in his care.
COMMENT 302187	2012-07-27 11:28 AM
Dr Ed Bentley is my GI doctor and he is the best! Very kind and gentle. Excellent bedside manner too. Anyone over 50 who has been told to have a colonoscopy, get it done! Colon cancer is a big killer that is easily prevented.
COMMENT 302225	2012-07-27 12:36 PM
Dr Bentley is a chameleon. If you are a "somebody" in Santa Barbara, you will love him. If not, you may feel less than worthy.
COMMENT 302243	2012-07-27 01:32 PM
Dr. Edward Bentley is the best. Very kind and gentle and very thorough with a great bedside manner.
LOLA	2012-07-27 02:07 PM
Dr. Petrini was great!
COMMENT 302415P	2012-07-27 09:14 PM
Gary VanDeventer M D at 563.0024. The preparation for a colonoscopy is the worst part- whether you are knocked out or not (all my friends said this, and I agree). I did not choose anesthesia for the procedure and was glad. I hate signing that release saying "I may die from the anesthesia"....
CORKY	2012-07-28 02:35 PM
There should be no pain, but the prep is awful. Makes me never want to do it again.
COMMENT 302633	2012-07-28 06:12 PM
pvc pipe,a funnel, and advil you should be good to go!
COMMENT 302891	2012-07-30 07:25 AM
i had dr. aguirre on micheltorena street do a colonoscopy and it was a piece of cake. after arriving at 8:30 a.m. only had to wait about 15 minutes after checking in and then it took less then 25 minutes then i was picked up by my wife and was out of there and in the car and she drove me home. the whole thing only took an hour and a half at most. i was expecting the worse but the procedure was not worth stressing about--i was medicated and awake the whole time and I felt little discomfort during or after the procedure. i felt so good later on that i wanted to go on a bike ride that afternoon but my wife said no.