Surgical Services
Our state of the art treatment options
Bariatric surgery | Colon and rectal surgery | Endocrine surgery | Esophageal and gastric surgery | Gall bladder and appendix surgery | Hernia surgery | Liver and pancreas surgery
Bariatric Surgery
Emory general surgeons are the surgical staff of the Emory Bariatric Center, a multi-specialty program that treats obesity using nutrition and exercise therapy, lifestyle education, pharmacotherapy, liquid meal replacement, and the following surgical procedures:
- Gastric banding, a minimally-invasive, fully reversible procedure where doctors place an adjustable, removable silicone band around the upper stomach to reduce stomach size. While digestion isn't impacted, patients eat less and feel full more quickly.
- Gastric bypass, involving reduction in stomach size and diverting food through the small intestine to limit digestion. Food absorption is reduced and patients feel full after eating less food. Post-procedure, most patients lose two-thirds of their excess weight within two years.
- Sleeve gastrectomy, where the remaining stomach is reshaped into the form of a sleeve after 75% of it has been removed. Patients experience normal digestion and report feeling full more quickly and having less hunger.
Colon and Rectal Surgery
Laparoscopic or open methods are available to treat anorectal disease, colon and colorectal cancer, colonic inertia, Crohn's disease, and diverticulitis. Building on a history of performing laparoscopic colon surgery since 1992, our program offers such procedures as single incision, laparoscopic resection for colon cancer (the colon is removed, lymph nodes harvested, and bowel reconnected through a single two-inch incision at the navel). Screening and therapeutic colonoscopy are also available.
Endocrine Surgery
Our surgeons treat adrenal masses and disorders, endocrine diseases of the pancreas, hyperparathyroidism, solitary thyroid nodules, and thyroid cancer. The procedures used include minimally invasive radio-guided parathyroid surgery; laparoscopic or open excision of endocrine tumors; and laparoscopic, retroperitoneal, or thoraco-abdominal adrenalectomy.
For those interested in comprehensive information on parathyroid diseases, from signs and symptoms to treatment options, visit the parathyroid glands section of the Patient Education Site of the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons.
Esophageal and Gastric Surgery
Since 1992, thousands of patients have received surgical treatment for achalasia, esophageal tumors and cancer, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), hiatal hernia, stomach cancer, and ulcer disease at the Emory Gastroesophageal Center, making it one of the leading referral centers of its type in the country. Available laparoscopic and/or open procedures include:
- Catheterless/wireless esophageal pH testing
- Endoscopic plication for GERD
- Esophagectomy
- Gastrectomy
- Heller myotomy
- Hiatal hernia repair
- Small intestine resection
Gall Bladder and Appendix Surgery
In addition to open methods when necessary, our surgeons use single incision laparoscopic surgery to perform appendectomy and cholecystectomy, which has the advantage of using one-to-two incisions rather than the standard three-to-five.
Hernia Surgery
Having been involved in some of the world's most extensive multi-institutional studies of laparoscopic ventral and inguinal hernia repair, the Emory Hernia Institute is a referral/consultation center for difficult inguinal and incisional and abdominal wall hernia cases from throughout the southeastern U.S. Open methods are available as well.
Liver and Pancreas Surgery
Laparoscopic and open methods are available to treat biliary tumors, cholangiocarcinoma, cirrhosis, chronic pancreatitis, gallbladder cancer, metastatic liver disease, pancreatic cancer and disorders, primary liver tumors, and variceal bleeding. Available procedures include cholecystectomy, Frey procedure, liver resection, pancreatectomy, reconstruction of the bile duct, shunts for variceal bleeding, and splenectomy
Our surgeons are able to perform such laparoscopic-assisted formal liver resections as right hemicolectomy through incisions that are much smaller than those of a standard open procedure, resulting in less blood loss and rapid patient recovery.
