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Minimal Access Surgery Center

Minimally invasive surgery has become an increasingly preferred option for the treatment of problems of the abdomen. The availability of laparoscopic technology, which involves the use of a tiny fiber-optic camera, video imaging capabilities, and new energy sources for cutting and coagulation has transformed the practice of surgery. Now we can offer treatment using minimally invasive approaches for the vast majority of patients with digestive disorders. These procedures can be performed with one or more small incisions, through which a camera and surgical instruments are inserted, instead of a large incision. For patients, these procedures result in less pain, shorter hospital stays, more rapid recoveries for patients, and fewer effects on pulmonary and immune system function, compared with open surgery.

The Minimal Access Surgery Center (MASC) of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, with programs at both NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, is devoted to developing and employing laparoscopic and endoscopic techniques for the treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) conditions to spare patients from debilitating surgery and to facilitate recovery. Among the conditions treated with these minimally invasive procedures are gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), gallbladder disease, hernia, obesity, and conditions of the lower GI tract, such as benign colon disease, GI cancer, appendicitis, diverticulitis, and inflammatory bowel disease.

The standard treatment for gallbladder disease, for example, is laparoscopic cholecystectomy (the removal of the gallbladder), and if gallstones have moved into the bile ducts, surgeons also can remove those stones laparoscopically. MASC surgeons also use laparoscopy to repair hernias of the anterior abdominal wall, which may occur as a result of scars from previous surgery. In addition, the Hospital's surgeons routinely treat conditions of the spleen, adrenal gland, and pancreas with laparoscopic techniques, and the Hospital's colorectal surgeons are internationally renowned in the use of laparoscopic methods for the treatment of cancer and other colorectal conditions.

MASC surgeons also are working with the Hospital's liver disease specialists to develop novel laparoscopic surgical procedures for resection and removal of living donor tissue for liver transplant procedures, as well as radio-frequency ablation for liver tumors.

MASC has dedicated operating rooms equipped with FDA-approved voice-activated surgical robots and a touch screen panel for controlling instruments and devices. The Center offers advanced laparoscopic training programs taught by faculty from both Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Weill Cornell Medical College. Comprehensive continuing education programs address topics in all aspects of minimally invasive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, special training labs for surgeons facilitate these programs, and video conferencing capabilities enable the Center to offer distance learning courses and telementoring for surgeons at remote sites.