Colon Resection Surgery

Treating Colorectal Disease with State-Of-The-Art Technology

Two major colon abnormalities – diverticular disease and colon tumors – often require colon resection surgery for optimal treatment. During a resection of the colon, the surgeon removes the diseased or damaged portion of the colon or the entire colon, and then sews the healthy ends of the intestine back together. This procedure is called intestinal anastomosis.

Minimally invasive colon resection surgery

Many colon resections can now be accomplished through laparoscopic, robotic assisted-surgical techniques, which often result in less postoperative pain, shorter hospital stays, and quicker recovery. Robotic-assisted surgery, available at Franciscan Health through the da Vinci® Surgical System, provides surgeons with an alternative to both traditional open surgery and conventional laparoscopy, putting a surgeon's hands at the controls of a state-of-the-art robotic platform. The da Vinci® system enables surgeons to perform even the most complex and delicate procedures through a series of 1-to-2 centimeter incisions with unmatched precision.

Benefits of robotic assisted-surgery include:

• Less pain
• Fewer transfusions
• Shorter recovery time
• Increased potential for normal bowel function
• Less blood loss
• Less risk of infection
• Shorter hospital stay
• Less scarring
• Better clinical outcomes and cancer cure rates

More about the diseases behind colon resection surgery

Diverticulosis is a condition in which bulging pockets or pouches form in the colon. They are most common in patients over the age of 50, although they may develop in younger patients. A combination of diet, bowel habits, heredity and other factors may contribute to their development. Diverticulosis may not cause any particular symptoms. However, it may lead to bleeding, infection, abdominal pain and colon obstruction. A patient who suffers any of these symptoms is said to have diverticular disease.

Colon cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer in the United States and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Yet, colon cancer, when caught at an early stage, may be curable by surgical removal of the involved segment of the colon. Although some growths are removed during colonoscopy, others may require an open operation depending upon their size and location.