Columbia Memorial Hospital is fast becoming the center for surgical excellence in the region.
Surgeons Rakel Astorga, Wayne Maben and Gary Pearlstein are using advanced laparoscopic procedures (less invasive surgery) for surgeries which in the past would have called for traditional, invasive incisions. Astorga is also applying new stereotactic-guided tumor location procedures in preparing for breast cancer lumpectomies (tumor removal). She is also developing a multi-discipline breast cancer surgery program which involves the hospital’s medical imaging department (digital mammography, ultrasound, and breast MRI), and the oncologists at Cavell Cancer Treatment Center on the hospital campus.
These surgeons join the physicians of Columbia Memorial Bone and Joint who are doing less invasive orthopedic procedures and the physicians of the Women’s Health Center who perform laparoscopic hysterectomies.
“The beauty of a laparoscope is that you can more readily see where the surgery needs to be done,” said Pearlstein.
“And this surgery results in less post-surgical pain, is cosmetically more appealing, and drives faster recovery times,” he said.
Minimally invasive surgery recovery times are from 3-4 days. In traditional surgery, recovery times can spread to weeks, depending on the specific surgery. In laparoscopic surgery, the surgeon makes four small incisions through which the they pass the laparoscope and the surgical tools for removal of the diseased organs.
According to Pearlstein, 70% of their surgery is now done with the less invasive methods using a laparoscope and other tools. The surgical group performs some 900 surgical procedures a year. Also assisting the surgeons is Alana Denter, RPA- C, a certified physician's assistant and "a major part of the practice," said Pearlstein.
Some of the new surgery they are doing laparoscopically include colon resections, liver resections, and removal of gall bladders, pancreas, appendix and many types of hernia repair. The have also removed stomach tumors in this manner. They have been doing colon resections for more than five years, often for cases of diverticulitis and cancer.
According to Dr. Astorga, one of the chief benefits of surgery at Columbia Memorial is that "we are all experienced attending surgeons providing one-on-one care. You see us for your consultation, we do your surgery, and we do the rounds, the followup. At Columbia Memorial, residents (physicians in training) are not involved in your care."
