Clinics in colon and rectal surgery

Sexual health is a key component of well-being and quality of life. Following colorectal surgery, many patients experience sexual dysfunction in the form of difficulty with libido, arousal, pain, and fertility. Autonomic nerve damage can ex…

Patients with pelvic floor disorders may experience a wide range of symptoms affecting one or more compartments of the pelvic floor (anterior/urinary, apical/reproductive, and posterior/gastrointestinal). Disorders affecting the pelvic orga…

Multicompartment pelvic organ prolapse (POP) occurs when multiple pelvic organs herniate through the pelvic floor, impacting quality of life and daily function. Concomitant POP and rectal prolapse are common but often underrecognized. A mul…

Large bowel obstructions (LBOs) often require urgent surgical intervention. Diagnosis relies on astute history and physical examination, as well as imaging with computed tomography (CT) scan for stable patients. Because of the high mortalit…

Nearly one-quarter of bowel obstructions occur in the large bowel. As with all bowel obstructions, large bowel obstructions have three defining characteristics: partial or complete, intrinsic or extrinsic, benign or malignant. The work-up f…

Transanal total mesorectal excision (taTME) is a novel technique that has evolved over the years to address the challenges of low rectal cancer surgery by applying the principles and benefits of laparoscopic surgery to more historic transan…

Bleeding from the lower gastrointestinal tract represents a significant source of morbidity and mortality. The colon represents the vast majority of the location of bleeding with only a much smaller incidence occurring in the small intestin…

The role of transanal total mesorectal excision (taTME) in minimally invasive proctectomy, especially rectal cancer surgery, is increasing. There has been exponential growth in uptake from the initial in vivo case in 2010 to the present day…

While colorectal surgery has been documented to have some of the highest complication rates in the surgical field, some of the more common, functional complications are often overlooked in the literature and in discussion with patients. Uri…

The American College of Surgeons' National Surgical Quality Improvement Project (ACS-NSQIP) is probably the most well-known surgical database in North American and worldwide. This clinical database was first proposed by Dr. Clifford Ko, a c…

Intussusception is defined as the invagination of one segment of the bowel into an immediately adjacent segment of the bowel. Idiopathic ileocolic intussusception is the most common form in children and is typically managed with nonoperativ…

Robotic surgery is an emerging field in colorectal surgery and may overcome the limitations of conventional laparoscopic surgery, such as rigid instrumentation, poor ergonomics, and assistant-dependent camera movements and retraction. In ad…

Effective teaching for general surgery residents requires that faculty members with colorectal expertise actively engage in the education process and fully understand the current context for residency training. In this article, we review im…

Fecal impaction (FI) is a common cause of lower gastrointestinal tract obstruction lagging behind stricture for diverticulitis and colon cancer. It is the result of chronic or severe constipation and most commonly found in the elderly popul…

In this article, the authors review both benign and malignant ovarian masses, as the colorectal surgeon who encounters an adnexal mass at the time of surgery should be aware of the steps necessary for surgical staging and optimal tumor rese…

Endometriosis is defined as the presence of endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterine cavity. Although the exact pathophysiology is unclear, endometriosis is a well-known cause of pelvic pain and infertility in reproductive-aged wom…

Intussusception is defined as the invagination of one portion of the bowel into an immediately adjacent portion. Etiology, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment are different in the pediatric and adult populations. In the pediatric population,…

Primary neoplasms of the retrorectal (presacral) space are very rare. These lesions may be congenital or acquired, benign or malignant. They often arise with subtle clinical symptoms, or they may be found incidentally during evaluation for …

Accurate coding of diagnoses and procedures is the key to managing your reimbursement, limiting your write-offs, and avoiding fraudulent activity that could bring havoc to your practice. Proper ICD-9-CM coding (International Classifications…

Colonic diverticulosis predisposes individuals to lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage in up to 5% of cases. These sac-like protrusions are pseudodiverticula and arise due to a combination of anatomic, dietary, motility, and structural influen…

Elective surgical resection in cases of diverticulitis should be offered to patients who have experienced two episodes. High-risk patients such as immunocompromised individuals or transplant patients may warrant resection after one episode.…