Colorectal Surgeon Phoenix covers the lower part of your digestive tract, including your colon, rectum and anus. A gastroenterologist may refer you to a colorectal surgeon if your symptoms require more invasive treatment.
During colectomy, your surgeon removes the diseased parts of your large intestine and connects healthy sections together. Your surgeon can do this using minimally invasive techniques.
A colonoscopy is a procedure that allows your doctor to examine the inside of your large intestine. It is often used to check for polyps that are precancerous or cancerous. This test is one of the most useful screening tools for colorectal cancer, which can be prevented with early diagnosis. It can also be used to detect cancer that has spread to other parts of the body.
During a colonoscopy, the gastroenterologist inserts a long, thin tube called a colonoscope into your back passage (rectum) and passes it through your colon, looking at every inch of the bowel lining. The tube has a camera on the end and sends a video image to a monitor. Depending on your health condition, the doctor may also take a sample of tissue for laboratory examination.
To prepare for the procedure, you are given instructions on how to empty your bowel. You may have to take a laxative or an enema, or drink a special fluid that helps clean out your bowels. You should also stop taking medicines that affect blood clotting, such as aspirin and ibuprofen, for several days before the exam. You can usually resume taking these medications once your test is over.
You are likely to receive light or minimal sedation for the colonoscopy, so you will be drowsy but awake. You will need someone to drive you home after the procedure, because you will not be able to drive if you are receiving sedation. Some people choose to have no sedation for the procedure, but this is not recommended because it increases your risk of complications from anesthesia.
Before the procedure begins, you are connected to equipment that monitors your heart rate and blood pressure. You may be given a medicine to help with nausea. Medications for sedation are then given through an IV in your arm.
If the procedure goes well, you will be allowed to go home soon afterward. If the doctor found polyps or tissue for laboratory testing, you will need to wait a few weeks for the results. If the results are negative, your doctor will let you know right away. If the test is positive, your doctor will tell you about any polyps or other tissue that were removed and will give you information on how to follow up with your health care provider.
Laparoscopy
Laparoscopy is a minimally invasive procedure that allows your surgeon to view the inside of the abdomen and pelvis. A thin device with a light and camera attached, called a laparoscope, is inserted into the belly through an incision near the belly button (umbilicus). The surgeon looks at the images on a monitor. Carbon dioxide gas is pumped into the belly to expand it and make it easier for the surgeon to see. Other small cuts are made so the surgeon can insert other instruments to perform treatments. When the surgery is done the gas is released and the instruments are removed. The tiny incisions are closed with bandages.
A laparoscopy is performed in a hospital or outpatient surgery center. You will be given general anesthesia so you will sleep through the surgery. You may have an IV inserted into one of your veins to provide fluids and pain medicine.
Before the procedure, you will need to fast for 8 hours or more. Then you will wear a hospital gown and lie on an operating table. The surgeon will make a small cut near the belly button or under your rib cage. A tube is inserted into this cut to pump in gas to expand the belly and make your organs easier to see on the monitor. The surgeon inserts the laparoscope into the belly through this incision or through another small cut nearby.
The surgeon uses the laparoscope and other surgical tools to treat problems like hernias, enlarged or inflamed organs, and cysts or scar tissue. The surgeon can also use the laparoscope to take a tissue sample for examination (biopsy). After the surgery, your doctor will drain the gas and remove the instruments. Then the surgeon will close the cuts with stitches or surgical tape and put on a bandage.
Your surgeon can also use a laparoscopy to find out how far cancer has spread or how much it has grown in the tissues of your colon, rectum, and anus. It is important to know how much the cancer has spread so your doctor can give you better treatment.
J-Pouch Surgery
The most common surgical procedure for ulcerative colitis and familial adenomatous polyposis, J-pouch surgery (also known as an ileal pouch-anal anastomosis) helps people who can no longer manage their symptoms with medication. During this two-stage surgery, surgeons remove the colon and rectum and create a “J”-shaped pouch from the end of the small intestine and attach it to the anus. For the first few months after surgery, stool passes through a temporary opening in the abdomen called an ileostomy, and the J pouch heals. Stools then pass through the pouch and anus to eliminate waste.
A person with a J pouch can still have normal sexual function and can continue to menstruate if they are a woman. After the anus and rectum have healed, the sphincter muscles that control the passage of stool will strengthen, and the pouch will become functional. Then a second surgery is performed to reverse the ileostomy and reconnect the small intestine, and stool will move normally through the pouch and anus.
During the second stage, patients may experience increased bowel movements (up to 12-15 stools per day) and irritation of the anal area, which usually improves with time as the anal sphincter muscle strengthens. They also may experience some leakage or seepage of fluid from the anus, which can be managed with skin care and by avoiding foods that irritate the pouch.
A common long-term side effect of this surgery is abdominal adhesions, which are bands of scar tissue that develop between tissues and organs in the abdomen after surgery. Abdominal adhesions can cause an obstruction of the small bowel, leading to severe abdominal pain and nausea, and they can affect female reproductive organs, causing infertility for women and erectile dysfunction in men and people assigned male at birth (AMAB). In some cases, the surgery can cause damage to nerves that are responsible for sexual functions around the anus and rectum. This can lead to pain or sensitivity with sexual activity, although this generally improves over time. To reduce the risk of complications, it’s important to follow a healthy diet after surgery and avoid excessive alcohol intake.
Anorectal Disorders
The colon, rectum and anus make up the lower digestive tract. They are important to your health because they carry waste out of the body. Some conditions that affect this area can cause pain, discomfort and embarrassment. A colorectal surgeon can help treat these conditions.
A colorectal surgeon is a specialist who treats diseases of the colon, rectum and anus. They have special training in a wide range of surgical techniques that can help you with your symptoms, and they also know how to prevent complications from surgery.
Some common conditions that a colorectal surgeon may treat include chronic diarrhea, diverticulitis, hemorrhoids and anal fistulas. They can also treat problems like anal stenosis and piles.
The most common type of surgery that a colorectal surgeon performs is a colectomy or colon resection. This surgery is performed to remove a tumor from the colon or to remove sections of a diseased colon. In this type of surgery, the surgeon will often reconnect the remaining segments of bowel so you can have normal bowel function.
Surgery can be painful for people, but many of the newer surgical procedures are less invasive. Your surgeon will explain the procedure to you and will be available to answer questions before and after surgery.
During an office visit, your colorectal surgeon will review your past medical history and ask you to share details about your symptoms. You should bring a list of your medications and a copy of your most recent colonoscopy report to the appointment.
If you have a colon polyp or a rectal cancer, your doctor will likely recommend that you see a colorectal surgeon to have these tumors removed. The colorectal surgeon will recommend a treatment plan, which may involve a colonoscopy or laparoscopic surgery. A colorectal surgeon can also use a minimally invasive technique called transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) to remove a rectal tumor or polyps that are too high up in the rectum to be removed with other techniques. The procedure uses a camera inserted through the anus and is performed on an outpatient basis.