Surgery

Surgeons are board certified and many have completed specialized training in a variety of other disciplines, including:

• Cancer surgery
• Gynecologic cancer surgery
• Liver and pancreas surgery
• Pediatric surgery
• Surgical critical care
• Thoracic surgery
• Transplant surgery
• Vascular surgery
• Weight loss surgery

Our general surgeons are trained to provide high-quality care if you are critically ill. They work closely with you throughout diagnosis as well as the preoperative, operative and postoperative stages.

General surgery procedures we offer include:

• Breast surgery
• Chest surgery
• Endocrine procedures
• Gastrointestinal surgery
• Head and neck surgery
• Musculoskeletal procedures
• Oncological (cancer) surgery
• Pelvic surgery
• Skin and soft tissue procedures
• Trauma surgery
• Vascular surgery

Abdominal surgery

General surgery also includes procedures that treat abdominal organs and systems, such as the colon, liver, pancreas and gallbladder. We offer many minimally invasive laparoscopic procedures to treat abdominal conditions. More complex conditions may require extensive open surgery.

Some procedures our abdominal surgeons perform include:

• Appendectomy
• Colon and small intestine procedures
• Gallbladder surgery
• Liver, pancreas and spleen surgery
• Stomach and duodenum (the first portion of the small intestine) procedures

We are committed to providing comprehensive care through your recovery as well. We participate in the Abdominal Core Quality Collaborative to follow your long-term outcomes compared to national benchmarks.

Hernia surgery and care

Our hospitals offer a comprehensive approach to treating hernia disease. We consider your overall health goals and offer cutting-edge surgical techniques in hernia repair. Our minimally invasive robot-assisted approaches to repair hernias lead to good outcomes with less recovery time. We also strive to have shorter hospital stays by implementing our Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Program. This includes multimodal pain management, which minimizes postoperative pain as well as risks for narcotic dependence.

Types of hernias we treat

Our hernia surgeons treat all types of hernias, using minimally invasive procedures whenever possible. These include:

• Inguinal hernia – This occurs when tissue pushes its way through a weak spot in the groin muscle.
• Femoral hernia – This occurs when the fatty tissue or part of the bowel pushes through into the groin at the top of the inner thigh.
• Umbilical hernia – This occurs when the intestines push through the abdominal muscles at the belly button. While they commonly occur in infants, they may also occur in adults.
• Incisional hernia – This type of hernia is caused when part of the bowel bulges at or near an incompletely healed surgical wound.
• Hiatal hernia – This type of hernia occurs when a part of your stomach bulges up through the diaphragm and into your chest.

Our surgeons specialize in benign and malignant conditions of the colon, rectum and anus. We are the region's only team of fellowship-trained colon and rectal surgeons (also known as colorectal surgeons). Each of our physicians is board certified, highly skilled and extensively experienced.

We deliver exceptional, personalized treatment from your first consultation until the completion of your care. Colorectal surgeons treat you using the most up-to-date surgical techniques with minimally invasive surgery and surgical procedures to ensure they receive the highest standard of colon and rectal care. Our specialists treat all conditions of the colon, rectum and anus, from simple to complex, including:

• Anal cancer
• Anal fissures
• Bowel obstruction
• Colon cancer
• Colorectal cancer
• Constipation
• Crohn’s disease
• Diverticulitis
• Fecal incontinence
• Hemorrhoids
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Pelvic floor dysfunction
• Polyps
• Rectal prolapse
• Ulcerative colitis

We partner with referring physicians and imaging specialists to accurately diagnose conditions of the liver, pancreas and bile ducts, and we serve you using the most advanced treatments available. Our surgeons are board certified, extensively experienced and highly skilled. We use minimally invasive procedures, including laparoscopic and robotic surgery, which typically result in faster recovery and reduced scarring.

Liver surgery

While rare, the liver can be susceptible to tumors caused by congenital defects, primary cancer or cancer spread from other parts of the body (metastatic surgery). One of the few parts of the human body able to regenerate, the most common liver surgical procedure is liver resection, in which the diseased part of the liver is removed, allowing healthy tissue to grow in its place.

Our surgeons diagnose and surgically manage both benign and malignant tumors caused by:

• Cirrhosis
• Hepatitis A, B and C
• Hepatic hemangioma
• Liver metastases
• Primary liver cancer

Bile duct surgery

Injuries, illnesses and disorders can cause bile ducts to become blocked, which can be painful and result in severe health complications. We offer advanced diagnosis and treatment for conditions of the biliary system, including:

• Bile duct cancer
• Bile duct obstruction
• Gallstones

Pancreas surgery

The pancreas helps your body break down and process food, and it also makes insulin, the hormone that regulates sugar in the blood. Our experienced surgeons are able to treat complex pancreatic diseases, including:

• Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (pancreatic cancer)
• Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors

We are by your side from the moment you are diagnosed through your long-term recovery. Part of our presurgical care includes programs that help you prepare for surgery and allows us to collaborate with other providers who are also treating your condition. Our preoperative programs include:

• Smoking cessation — Collaborate with primary care providers to assist in smoking cessation not only to optimize the surgical outcome but also your overall health
• Obesity — Collaboration with Mission Weight Management for medical or surgical weight loss if you qualify and are interested in optimized outcomes
• Diabetes — Collaborate with your primary care provider regarding your diabetes treatment, along with a nutritionist and bariatric surgeon to optimize successful outcomes

We value team-based, comprehensive care and work as an extension of your overall healthcare. We work with your primary care physician, imaging specialists, specially trained staff, and you and your family to create a personalized treatment plan. We also offer top-notch follow-up care to address your questions and provide recovery instructions as you heal.

Talk to your primary care provider about the different surgery options available for your condition or ask for a referral to one of our general surgeons.