Archive for the ‘minimally invasive da Vinci Surgery’ Category

Minimally-invasive Surgery Options for Florida Crohn’s Disease Patients

Wednesday, May 4th, 2011

When patients suffer from abdominal pain and severe diarrhea over time, their doctors may become concerned that these symptoms signal the onset of a chronic ailment like Irritated Bowel Syndrome or, worse, Crohn’s disease. These problems have similar enough symptoms to make them difficult to distinguish. Fortunately, Florida patients have access to a team of medical experts led by Dr. Belizon, who can make an accurate diagnosis and provide minimally invasive treatment options.

Irritated Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a syndrome, not a disease, which affects about 1 in 6 people in the United States. While the condition has many possible causes, usually what happens is that the intestinal muscles begin failing to contract properly or become hypersensitive. IBS can occur after an intestinal infection, and often is triggered by stress. Treatment usually involves rest, dietary change, and avoidance of stressful life situations.

The Florida Minimally Invasive CRS Group of doctors, in southern Florida areas of Palm Beach and Boca Raton, can diagnose IBS based on your symptoms, often without further tests. Doctors may also conduct blood tests or a colonoscopy to help rule out other issues like Crohn’s disease.

Crohn’s disease is an example of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the name given to diseases that involve intestinal swelling. The disease has no known cure, although the symptoms are treatable. The symptoms of Crohn’s disease are quite similar to those of IBS—abdominal pain and diarrhea are most common—which often makes Crohn’s disease difficult to diagnose.

No one is completely sure what causes Crohn’s, but the prevailing theory is that the disease is autoimmune; that is, an illness caused when the body’s immune system begins mistakenly attacking healthy body tissues. Crohn’s disease also may have a hereditary component—about 20% of people diagnosed with Crohn’s have a relative suffering from some type of IBD. Crohn’s disease can be detected by running a variety of tests including blood tests, X-rays, colonoscopy, or endoscopy of the upper intestine.

Treatment for Crohn’s disease generally begins with medication. Although the condition can’t be cured, the symptoms can be controlled. Crohn’s disease can cause intestinal narrowing or blockage; sometimes fistulas (abnormal passages between organs) may develop. In these cases surgery is sometimes recommended.

If you learn that you need surgery for Crohn’s disease, you may be a candidate for minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery using the da Vinci® Surgical System. This system uses the most advanced technology to conduct colon surgery through just a few tiny incisions. Dr. Belizon, and the Minimally Invasive CRS team of Doctors use this state-of-the-art surgical platform to overcome the challenges of traditional open surgery and dramatically reduce the patient’s recovery time. If you’ve been told that you need colon surgery, it is recommended that you consult these Florida medical experts to examine your options. You can contact them today at 877.493.5545 to schedule an appointment.

Posted in Colon Cancer Treatment, Colon Surgery South Florida, Crohn’s disease, Diverticulitis Facts, Irritated Bowel Syndrome, Minimally Invasive Florida Doctors, colonoscopy, da Vinci Surgical System, minimally invasive da Vinci Surgery | No Comments »

da Vinci® Surgical System Offers Minimally Invasive Alternative for Treating Colorectal Cancer

Thursday, January 13th, 2011

Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer in the U.S.: the disease strikes more than 140,000 people each year, killing about 60,000. While that may sound like bad news, there’s good news for colon cancer sufferers too. First, routine screening exams help provide early detection and prevention of colorectal cancers. Second, if diagnosed early, the cancer is treatable and potentially curable. Finally, many patients are candidates for treatment via a new, minimally invasive robotic surgery technique: the da Vinci® Surgical System.
While the primary treatment for colorectal cancers is surgery, da Vinci procedures offer a minimally invasive, highly effective alternative to traditional open surgery. Traditional methods generally require substantial abdominal incisions leading to a lengthy healing and recovery process. In contrast, the state-of-the-art robotic technology employed by da Vinci Surgery allows the surgeon to operate with greater precision, dexterity, and control than traditional surgical procedures, while only needing to make very small incisions (1-2 centimeters—about the size of a dime).
Using the da Vinci system, surgeons make these small incisions into which miniature surgical instruments and a 3D/HD camera are inserted. The surgeon then views a magnified, high-resolution image of the surgical site on a console. The robotic technology translates the surgeon’s hand movements into precise scaled motions of the da Vinci instruments to perform accurate surgical maneuvers. Your doctor remains in control, but the actual surgery is performed on a miniature scale.
The da Vinci system has proven very successful to treat multiple colorectal conditions, including colon cancer, rectal cancer, diverticulitis, and inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis).
In addition to the increased surgical precision and reduced incision size, da Vinci Surgery has many other potential benefits over both open surgery and laparoscopy. Many patients can expect improved clinical outcomes for cancer control with da Vinci. Other benefits experienced by most da Vinci patients include quicker return to normal bowel function and diet, less risk of infection at the surgical site, and shorter hospital stays and recovery times.
The new da Vinci surgical platform offers a potential breakthrough for many colorectal cancer patients. Never before have such precision and accuracy been available to expand a surgeon’s capability to treat colon and rectal cancers. da Vinci Surgery helps your doctor minimize pain and risk associated with surgery, while speeding your recovery and improving your clinical outlook. If you’ve been diagnosed with a colorectal cancer or condition that requires surgery, ask your doctor if you’re a candidate for the effective, minimally invasive da Vinci Surgery system. Contact Dr. Belizon at Minimally Invasive Colon and Rectal Surgery of South Florida for more information on the new Di Vinci minimally invasive alternative.

Posted in Colon Cancer Treatment, Colon Surgery South Florida, Diverticulitis Facts, Hemorrhoid Symptoms, Minimally Invasive Florida Doctors, da Vinci Surgical System, minimally invasive da Vinci Surgery | No Comments »