Colon Surgery

First in State to Perform Minimally Invasive Colon Surgery

Core Physicians, recently became one of only a handful around the country to use a new minimally invasive technique to remove a portion of a person’s colon through the navel.

Surgeon Christopher Roseberry, MD and colleagues were part of a small group of surgeons chosen nationally to try the single incision laparoscopic surgery technique before the technology is even available on the market. The cutting edge surgical technology, manufactured by the company Covidien, was approved for use by the FDA in January of this year.

"Covidien is excited to offer this innovative surgical technique which will allow surgeons to perform minimally invasive procedures that will leave patients with no visible scars," explained Ben Roeder, a senior surgical specialist with Covidien. "Dr. Roseberry’s wealth of experience as a minimally invasive surgeon gave him the ideal set of skills and hands on experience to learn the SILS technique."

The local surgical team was thrilled to be chosen for the trial of the new device, which is on the cutting edge of surgical methods.

"Single incision laparoscopic surgery is the newest technology in laparoscopic surgery," Dr. Roseberry explained. "It allows us to perform operations through a single incision, hidden in the umbilicus, or belly button. This eliminates multiple incisions and makes the operation virtually scar less. With the new technology, we are able to perform operations such as gallbladder removal and appendectomy through one incision."

The use of SILS to remove a piece of a patient’s colon through their navel is the second time the local surgical team has made history in recent months. They were also the first to use the SILS method to remove a patient’s gallbladder during surgery late last year.

"We are very excited to be on the forefront of this technology which is a major advancement in the surgical world," Dr. Roseberry said. "This technique offers less pain and discomfort for patients, giving them a much faster recovery with virtually no visible scarring after their surgery."

Carolyn Gutowski, 72, of Raymond, was referred to Dr. Roseberry for surgery after several flat polyps were found on her colon during a routine colonoscopy. It was recommended that the section of the colon with polyps be removed surgically because of the potential that they could become cancerous.

During Mrs. Gutowski’s surgery, Dr. Roseberry and his team utilized the new SILS device, which is a single, flexible port that can be fitted through the small incision in the navel. The port is the first device that allows surgeons to use up to three laparoscopic instruments through the single incision.

Mrs. Gutowski said she was amazed by the technology that enabled Dr. Roseberry to perform a complex surgery through a single, small incision.

"He did a marvelous job," she said of Dr. Roseberry. "To me it’s just phenomenal that they could do everything they did through my belly button."

Even more amazing to Mrs. Gutowski was the almost pain-free, and short, recovery from the surgery. After a Friday afternoon surgery, the local woman was back at home recuperating by Sunday. "I had no pain at all, all I took was an over the counter pain medication," she said. "I thought it would be a much, much longer recovery time. I was amazed at how well I felt. I’ve had no pain, no trouble."

Mrs. Gutowski was back at work just a week after her surgery and said she would recommend the minimally invasive technique to others. "I can’t say enough about my experience at Exeter Hospital. The staff was just phenomenal. Any questions I had, they were there to answer them. I just can’t say enough good things about the staff."