Gallbladder & Biliary Tree

The gallbladder produces a liquid that aids digestion in the intestine. Removal of the gallbladder, or cholecystectomy, may be recommended when the gallbladder is inflamed, blocked, diseased, cancerous or contains gallstones. Untreated gallstones can cause complications such as biliary colic, cholecystitis, cholangitis, gangrene, jaundice, pancreatitis, sepsis, fistula, ileus and cancer.

Laparoscopic Splenectomy

A splenectomy is the surgical removal of the spleen. A laparoscopic or minimally invasive approach allows a surgeon to remove the spleen through several tiny incisions versus a large midline incision for an open approach.

The spleen is an organ located in the upper left part of the abdomen behind the stomach and below the diaphragm. The spleen acts as a blood filter to detect and remove certain bacteria and other organisms that can cause infection. It also destructs old blood cells and platelets and creates and stores new blood cells.

The reasons for this procedure are:

• Bleeding following trauma
• Enlargement of the spleen
• Blood disorders
• Rupture
• Tumors
• Blood clot in the splenic vein
• Diseased spleen

Single Port Access Surgery (SPA)

We are now offering to our patients Single Port Access Surgery (SPA) for laparoscopic Cholecystectomy; this is an advanced minimally invasive procedure done through a single small incision in the umbilicus.

We use a newly developed High Dexterity instrument known as RealHand, engineered by Novare Surgical Systems, Inc.. This instrumentation allows for only one small incision in the umbilicus, where three tubes are inserted into the incision. Through these tubes, the RealHand instruments and the camera are placed into the abdomen. These innovative instruments have bendable ends which mimic the movements of the surgeon’s wrist and fingers; by doing so, he is able to manipulate them as if he were using his own hands. After the gallbladder is removed and surgery is completed, the tools are withdrawn from the abdomen and the single incision closed with surgical glue.

With this new technique, pain and discomfort are reduced to a minimum and recovery time is quicker. The cosmetic results are better since patients have no visible scar.

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Small Bowel

The small bowel is the part of the digestive system that absorbs most of the liquid and nutrients from food. It includes the duodenum, the jejunum and the ileum.

A small bowel resection is the surgery to remove a diseased section of the small intestine. The laparoscopic technique involves small incisions and faster recovery. In this procedure, the diseased section of the small intestine is stapled and removed, then the two bowel ends are reattached using staples.

This procedure may be performed to treat the following problems:

Colon Resection Surgery

The colon is known as the large intestine or large bowel, its function is to absorb water from digested food. The intestinal tract functions by processing the food in the stomach and then moving it along the small intestine where nutrients are absorbed. The remaining waste is moved along by muscular contractions through the colon to the rectum where it is held until it is ready to be evacuated.

If the colon is not functioning properly, a number of problems may occur; some of the most common diseases of the colon are:

• Diverticulitis: Inflamed and/or perforated pouches on the outside of the colon.
• Polyps: Small benign growths on the lining of the colon that may progress to cancerous growths.
• Colon Cancer: malignant tumors in the colon.
• Ulcerative colitis: irritation and ulcers in the lining of the large intestine and rectum.
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): Thickening of the colon lining caused by immune response and inflammation cells.
• Crohn’s Disease: A from of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

After it’s been determined that a patient needs colon surgery, you may be a candidate for the laparoscopic approach.  With this new surgical method, the surgeon inserts a camera into the abdomen through a small incision, this allows the surgeon to view inside the abdomen on a monitor, other small incisions are use to insert other instruments and to removed disease parts of the colon.

With the Laparoscopic Colon Resection procedure the incisions are smaller as compared to the open approach, the hospital stay is shorter, there is less pain and the overall recovery is much faster.

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