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Described below are just some of the procedures we perform. Our esteemed physicians and highly-skilled clinical staff deliver education and consultation to our patients to ensure a personalized experience. Use the menu below to learn about each of the conditions we treat.

Surgical Procedures

Head & Neck

Procedures

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​Use the slider on the right to learn more about these Head & Neck procedures:

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  • Thyroid Procedures

  • Development of Minimally Invasive Thyroid Surgery

  • Robotic-Assisted Thyroidectomy

  • Partial or Total Thyroidectomy

  • Fine Needle Aspirate of the Thyroid

  • Parathyroidectomy

  • Removal of Lumps and Bumps of the Head and Neck

Head & Neck

Thyroid Procedures

Thyroid operations are used for patients who have a variety of thyroid conditions, including both cancerous and benign (non-cancerous) thyroid nodules, large thyroid glands (goiters), and overactive thyroid glands. There are several thyroid operations that a surgeon may perform, including: 1) biopsy - removing a small part of the thyroid gland; 2) lobectomy - removing half of the thyroid gland; 3) removing nearly all of the thyroid gland (subtotal thyroidectomy – leaving a small amount of thyroid tissue bilaterally or near-total thyroidectomy – leaving about one gm or cm of thyroid tissue on one side); or 4) total thyroidectomy, which removes all identifiable thyroid tissue. There are specific indications for each of these operations. The main risks of a thyroid operation involve possible damage to important anatomical structures near the thyroid, primarily the parathyroid glands (which regulate calcium levels) and the recurrent and external laryngeal nerves (which control the vocal cords).

​Use the pane on the right to learn more about these Breast procedures:

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  • Breast Biopsy

  • Lumpectomy

  • Mastectomy

Breast

Procedures

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Breast

Breast Biopsy
Sometimes this is an open excisional breast biopsy. Sometimes this is a needle biopsy, which is usually a diagnostic procedure.

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Lumpectomy
The process whereby a cancerous lump is removed from the breast. Usually this is coupled with a sampling of the lymph nodes from the axilla (arm pit) on the same side as the breast cancer (called staging axillary lymphadenectomy). More and more of these cases are being addressed using the new staging technique of sentinel lymph node biopsy. All of these procedures are performed by the General Surgeons of Valley Surgical Clinics.

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Mastectomy
Some cases of breast cancer still require treatment via modified radical mastectomy, or sometimes via a simple mastectomy, also called total mastectomy.

Stomach & Esophagus

Procedures

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​Use the pane on the right to learn more about these Stomach and Esophagus procedures:

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  • Gastric and Esophageal Resections

  • Nissan Fundoplication

Stomach & Esophagus

Gastric and Esophageal Resections
These are done for either benign conditions, such gastric or duodenal ulcer disease, or malignant conditions, such as stomach cancer. Operations include partial gastrectomy, esophago-gastrectomy, and subtotal or total gastrectomy.

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Nissan Fundoplication
The operation used most often for GERD is called fundoplication. Fundoplication works by increasing pressure in the lower esophagus to keep acid from backing up. The surgeon wraps part of your stomach around your esophagus like a collar and tacks it down to provide more of a one-way valve effect. This procedure now can be done laparoscopically, without a large incision in your abdomen.

​Use the pane on the right to learn more about these Spleen procedures:

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  • Splenectomy

Spleen

Procedures

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Spleen

Splenectomy
Removal of the spleen in circumstances such as enlargement; from lymphoma, leukemia, chronic anemia, and trauma. Splenectomies are performed for a variety of different reasons and with different degrees of urgency.

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What are the Advantages of Laparoscopic Robotic Assisted Splenectomy?

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Results may vary depending on your overall condition and health. Usual advantages are:

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  • Less postoperative pain

  • Shorter hospital stay

  • Faster return to a regular, solid food diet

  • Quicker return to normal activities

  • Better cosmetic results

​Use the slider on the right to learn more about these Pancreas procedures:

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  • Pancreatectomy

  • Whipple Procedure

  • Pancreatico-jejunostomy

  • Distal Pancreatectomy

Pancreas

Procedures

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Pancreas

Liver

Procedures

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​Use the pane on the right to learn more about these Liver procedures:

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  • Hepatic Resections

  • Liver Resection

Liver

Galbladder

Procedures

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​Use the slider on the right to learn more about these Galbladder procedures:

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  • Laparoscopic Cholecsytectomy

  • Bile Duct Surgery

Galbladder

​Use the slider on the right to learn more about these Hernia procedures:

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  • Inguinal Herniorraphy

  • Femoral Herniorraphy

Hernia

Procedures

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Hernia

Intestine/

Colon/Anus

Procedures

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​Use the slider on the right to learn more about these Intestine/Colon/Anus procedures:

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  • Intestinal Resections

  • Hemorrhoidectomy

  • Appendectomy

  • Pilonidal Cystectomy

  • Conventional (Open) Colon Surgery

  • Minimally Invasive (Laparoscopic) Robotic Assisted Colon Surgery

Intestine/Colon/Anus

​Use the slider on the right to learn more about these Vascular procedures:

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  • Carotid Endarterectomy

  • Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair

  • Angiography

  • Angioplasty

  • Aorto Bifemoral Bypass

  • Arterial Thromboendarterectomy with or without Patch Angioplasty

  • AV Fistula or AV Graft Placement

  • Femoro-Poplitea or Femoro-Femoral Bypass

  • Temporal Artery Biopsy

  • Ligation and Stripping of Varicose Veins

  • Repair Femoral Popliteal Aneurysm

  • Venous Closure or Venous Ablation

Vascular

Procedures

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Vascular

Pancreatectomy

A pancreatectomy is the surgical removal of the pancreas. A pancreatectomy may be total, in which case the entire organ is removed, usually along with the spleen, gallbladder, common bile duct, and portions of the small intestine and stomach. A pancreatectomy may also be distal, meaning that only the body and tail of the pancreas are removed, leaving the head of the organ attached. When the duodenum is removed along with all or part of the pancreas, the procedure is called a pancreaticoduodenectomy, which surgeons sometimes refer to as "Whipple's procedure." Pancreaticoduodenectomies are increasingly used to treat a variety of malignant and benign diseases of the pancreas. This procedure often involves removal of the regional lymph nodes as well.

Patients who are considered suitable for surgery usually have small tumors in the head of the pancreas (close to the duodenum, or first part of the small intestine), have jaundice as their initial symptom, and have no evidence of metastatic disease (spread of cancer to other sites). The stage of the cancer will determine whether the pancreatectomy to be performed should be total or distal.

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A partial pancreatectomy may be indicated when the pancreas has been severely injured by trauma, especially injury to the body and tail of the pancreas. While such surgery removes normal pancreatic tissue as well, the long-term consequences of this surgery are minimal, with virtually no effects on the production of insulin, digestive enzymes, and other hormones.Chronic pancreatitis is another condition for which a pancreatectomy is occasionally performed.

 

Chronic pancreatitis—or continuing inflammation of the pancreas that results in permanent damage to this organ—can develop from long-standing, recurring episodes of acute (periodic) pancreatitis. This painful condition usually results from alcohol abuse or the presence of gallstones. In most patients with the alcohol-induced disease, the pancreas is widely involved, therefore, surgical correction is almost impossible.

Hepatic Resections
Via such procedures as partial hepatectomy, hepatic lobectomy, or segmentectomy, are performed for benign or malignant tumors of the liver. Liver drainage procedures are often done for abscess of the liver.

Laparoscopic Cholecsytectomy

Laparoscopy has become the preferred surgical technique for some conditions, such as gallbladder disease.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy: Removal of the gallbladder with laparoscopy is one of the most common operations in the United States. About 800,000 people undergo laparoscopic gallbladder removal each year. Today almost all gallbladder surgery is performed by laparoscopic surgery. Laparoscopic gallbladder surgery is associated with a shorter hospital stay, less pain and discomfort after the surgery and a rapid recovery allowing many patients to go back to work within a short period of time after the surgery. In many cases, laparoscopic cholecystectomy is performed as an outpatient surgery, with patients spending only a matter of hours at the surgery center. It may be hard for some younger generation patients to appreciate the fact that an operation which, just a generation ago, meant about a week in the hospital and a month off of work, has now been transformed into an outpatient procedure that allows patients to return to work in a week or less.

In this procedure, 5-10mm diameter instruments (graspers, scissors, clip applier) can be introduced by the surgeon into the abdomen through trocars (hollow tubes with a seal to keep the CO2 from leaking). Rather than a minimum 20cm incision as in traditional cholecystectomy, four incisions of 0.5-1.0cm will be sufficient to perform a laparoscopic removal of a gallbladder. Since the gall bladder is similar to a small balloon that stores and releases bile, it can usually be removed from the abdomen by suctioning out the bile and then removing the deflated gallbladder through the 1cm incision at the patient's navel. Conceptually, the laparoscopic approach is intended to minimize post-operative pain and speed up recovery times, while maintaining an enhanced visual field for surgeons. Today this procedure can also be offered as a Laparoscopic Robotic Assisted Surgery.

Inguinal Herniorraphy
Surgery repairing an inguinal hernia, which is a lump in the groin area resulting from abdominal organs pushing through the abdominal wall. Most hernias will require surgical repair. Fortunately, many patients will have the option of a minimally invasive procedure to relieve inguinal hernia, tears in the abdominal wall. There are two main options for hernia repair:

1. Open Repair: The traditional, open repair has been the gold standard for over 100 years. There are 5-10 different approaches that are performed routinely with local and intravenous sedation. Due to the larger size of the incision, open hernia repair is sometimes more painful and, in many cases, has a longer recovery period than with the minimally invasive technique.

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2. Minimally Invasive (Laparoscopic) Hernia Repair and Robotic Assisted Surgery

In laparoscopic hernia surgery, a telescope attached to a camera is inserted through a small incision that is made under the patient's belly button. Two other small cuts are made (each no larger than the diameter of pencil eraser) in the lower abdomen. The hernia defect is reinforced with a 'mesh' (synthetic material made from the same material that stitches are made from) and secured in position with stitches/staples/titanium tacks or tissue glue, depending on the preference of your individual surgeon. Pain usually subsides quickly, and the patient can return to work within a few days. Restrictions on lifting will be prolonged until approximately three weeks.

Intestinal Resections

This is the removal of a part of the large or small intestine, with a reconnection of the remaining intestinal tract (called anastomosis). Besides small bowel resection, these operations include hemi-colectomy, low anterior resection of the rectum, and abdomino-perineal resection of the rectum. The latter operation requires the creation of a permanent colostomy. But not all colon (large intestinal) resections require a colostomy. Sometimes it is necessary to create a temporary colostomy, as, for example, with a perforated diverticulitis.

 

Hemorrhoidectomy
Lately we have found that using the harmonic scalpel, an ultrasound driven device, lessens the post-operative pain.

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Appendectomy
In some cases, it is to the patient’s benefit for us to perform a laparoscopic appendectomy.

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Pilonidal Cystectomy
This entails the removal of a chronically inflamed cyst between the buttocks. It is an outpatient procedure.

Carotid Endarterectomy

Carotid endarterectomy is a surgical procedure to open or clean the carotid artery with the goal of stroke prevention. Your surgeon makes an incision along the front of your neck, opens your carotid artery and removes the plaques that are clogging your artery. Your surgeon then repairs the artery with stitches or a patch made with a vein or artificial material (patch graft).

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Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair

Open abdominal aortic aneurysm repair is surgery to fix an aneurysm which is a weakening in the wall of the aorta, the large artery that carries blood to your abdomen, pelvis, and legs.  Your surgeon opens up your abdomen and replaces the aortic aneurysm with a man-made, synthetic graft. Depending on the size and the rate at which your abdominal aortic aneurysm is growing, treatment may vary from watchful waiting to emergency surgery.

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Angiography

Angiography uses a catheter, x-ray imaging guidance and an injection of contrast material to examine blood vessels in key areas of the body for abnormalities such as aneurysms and disease such as atherosclerosis (plaque). The use of a catheter makes it possible to combine diagnosis and treatment in a single procedure. 

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