For the first time at Memorial Hermann Southeast Hospital, a single port colectomy, an operation that removes the colon, was performed on Feb. 16. This new and unique procedure has been done at a small number of hospitals around the nation and only a few times in Houston.
During the procedure, a single, small incision made around the navel is created to allow instruments to be placed within the body to remove the colon. Traditionally, the procedure required four or five larger incisions.
"This is a technological advancement that allows patients to have a smaller incision, less pain and a faster recovery," said Theodoros Voloyiannis, MD, FACS, Colon and Rectal Clinic of Houston and Memorial Hermann Southeast Hospital.
In the first procedure of its kind at Memorial Hermann Southeast, Dr. Voloyiannis removed the entire right colon from a woman that was diagnosed with colon cancer. The patient remained in the hospital for less than a week and only needed pain medication for the first couple of days after the operation.
"I feel better than ever before and feel like a new person," said the patient.
For more information on this procedure or to schedule an appointment for a screening, call the Colon and Rectal Clinic of Houston at 281-484-9221.