These Are Just Some Of The Operations We Perform: Partial or Total Thyroidectomy - Removal of all or part of the thyroid gland through a neck incision. Fine Needle Aspirate of the Thyroid - An in-office diagnostic biopsy of thyroid lumps. Parathyroidectomy - This is most commonly performed for hyperparathyoidism, a condition that causes a dangerously high calcium level. This is almost always a benign condition. Removal of Lumps and Bumps of the Head and Neck - These are most often such things as skin cysts, thyroglossal duct cysts, and enlarged lymph glands. Tracheotomy - The creation of a temporary or permanent opening directly into the trachea. Tube Thoracostomy - The insertion of a tube into the thoracic cavity to drain fluid of expand the lung. Breast Biopsy - Sometimes this is an open excisional breast biopsy. Sometimes this is a needle biopsy, which is usually a diagnostic procedure. Lumpectomy - The process whereby a cancerous lump is removed from the breast. Usually this is coupled with a sampling of the lymph nodes from the axilla (arm pit) on the same side as the breast cancer (called staging axillary lymphadenectomy). More and more of these cases are being addressed using the new staging technique of sentinel lymph node biopsy. All of these procedures are performed by the General Surgeons of Valley Surgical Clinics. Mastectomy - Some cases of breast cancer still require treatment via modified radical mastectomy, or sometimes via a simple mastectomy, also called total mastectomy. Gastric and Esophageal Resections - These are done for either benign conditions, such gastric or duodenal ulcer disease, or malignant conditions, such as stomach cancer. Operations include partial gastrectomy, esophago-gastrectomy, and subtotal or total gastrectomy. Hiatal Hernia and Reflux operations - Such as open Nissen fundoplication, or the new laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication. This is usually done for severe gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD). Hepatic Resections - Via such procedures as partial hepatectomy, hepatic lobectomy, or segmentectomy, are performed for benign or malignant tumors of the liver. Liver drainage procedures are often done for abscess of the liver. Whipple Procedure - This is when the head of the pancreas is removed along with a portion of the lower main bile duct, the duodenum, and a portion of the stomach, and then the anatomic alignment of the upper GI tract reconstructed. This is most often performed for pancreatic cancer. Pancreatico-jejunostomy - Also sometimes called the Puestow procedure. This is where the duct of the pancreas is connected to the intestinal tract, usually to bypass an obstruction in the pancreatic duct from chronic pancreatitis. Distal pancreatectomy - Removal of a part of the pancreas. Done for benign or malignant conditions. Laparoscopic cholecsytectomy - This is the procedure where a small scope is placed through the navel, and the gallbladder is removed without the use of a major abdominal incision. This has transformed gallbladder removal into an outpatient operation. Some situations are not amenable to laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Then we perform open cholecystectomy. Bile Duct Surgery - These are usually performed open, but sometimes can be done via the laparoscope. They include common bile duct exploration, and transduodenal sphincteroplasty, as well as connections made between the bile duct and intestinal tract for bypass purposes. Intestinal resections - This is the removal of a part of the large or small intestine, with a reconnection of the remaining intestinal tract (called anastomosis). Besides small bowel resection, these operations include hemi-colectomy, low anterior resection of the rectum, and abdomino-perineal resection of the rectum. The latter operation requires the creation of a permanent colostomy. But not all colon (large intestinal) resections require a colostomy. Sometimes it is necessary to create a temporary colostomy, as, for example, with a perforated diverticulitis. Hemorrhoidectomy - Lately we have found that using the harmonic scalpel, an ultrasound driven device, lessens the post-operative pain. Appendectomy - In some cases, it is to the patient’s benefit for us to perform a laparoscopic appendectomy. Pilonidal Cystectomy - This entails the removal of a chronically inflamed cyst between the buttocks. It is an outpatient procedure. Inguinal herniorraphy - This is the repair of a hernia in the groin. Sometimes we do this via laparoscopic herniorraphy. Most of the time we prefer the tension-free mesh repair of Lichtenstein. We have also been employing the new Kugel mesh repair. All of these procedures employ a mesh implant, are done as an outpatient, and provide the patient a rapid return to normal activities. Femoral herniorraphy - The repair of a less common groin hernia. We follow the same techniques described above. Splenectomy - Removal of the spleen. Depending upon the reason why we are performing the operation, we sometimes do a laparoscopic splenectomy. This results in much less pain and disability to the patient, and a more rapid return to normal activities. Skin surgery - Anything from removal of "lumps and bumps" to drainage of boils. We sometimes need to excise a wide area of skin, as in the case of skin cancer (such as melanoma). This sometimes requires us to perform a skin graft. Varicose vein stripping - This operation is still occasionally required for people with large, symptomatic varicose veins of the legs. OTHER OPERATIONS WE PERFORM INCLUDE: ANAL FISTULA REPAIR DRAINAGE OF PER-RECTAL ABSCESS REPAIR OF ANAL FISSURE INCISIONAL HERNIA REPAIR ABDOMINAL WALL HERNIA REPAIR UMBILICAL HERNIA REPAIR VASECTOMY CIRCUMCISION SENTINEL NODE PROCEDURES SUTURE OF LACERATIONS REMOVAL OF TESTICULAR HYDROCELE (CYST) CREATION OF GASTROSTOMY CREATION OF JEJUNOSTOMY PERCUTANEOUS ENDOSCOPIC GASTROSTOMY (PEG) PORT-A-CATH OR GROSHONG CATHETER FOR CHEMOTHERAPY VASCULAR ACCESS CATHETERS FOR HEMODIALYSIS INTRA-ARTERIAL HEPATIC INFUSION PUMP FOR CHEMOTHERAPY site design     |     return to top