Abdominal Surgery Specialist

What is abdominal surgery?

Abdominal surgery includes a broad spectrum of procedures that treat conditions involving the tissues and organs in the abdominal area. 

Many of these procedures involve traditional open surgery, making a long incision through the skin, fat, and muscle to gain access to the area in need of surgical treatment. But, with advances in surgical technology, surgeons now perform many of these procedures through small incisions.

Dr. Santiago is an experienced and skilled board-certified surgeon who uses advanced surgical techniques to get the best possible outcomes. When performing abdominal surgery, she may use minimally invasive laparoscopic or robotic surgery.

What are the types of abdominal surgery?

There are many types of abdominal surgery, depending on your surgical needs. Abdominal procedures include:

Colectomy

A colectomy is the surgical removal of the colon. Dr. Santiago may perform this procedure to treat colon cancer or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). She may remove the entire colon or a portion of the colon. 

Dr. Santiago performs robotic colorectal surgery for these types of procedures. 

Abdominoperineal resection

Abdominoperineal resection is a procedure for the treatment of anal and lower rectal cancer. 

Small bowel resection

Dr. Santiago may perform a small bowel resection to treat Crohn’s disease (a type of IBD), cancer, ulcers, or polyps.

Hernia repair

Hernias are protrusions of the inner parts of your body — intestine or fatty tissue — through a weakened area of the abdominal wall. Hernia repair reinforces the weakened area of the abdominal wall to prevent the protrusion.

Feeding tube insertion

Dr. Santiago performs abdominal surgery to place a feeding tube, such as a gastrostomy tube (G-tube) or a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG).

Anal fissure procedures 

An anal fissure is a small tear in the anal tissue that causes severe pain during a bowel movement. Dr. Santiago may perform a lateral internal sphincterotomy (LIS) to repair this tear. 

Repair of rectal prolapse

For patients with fecal or urinary incontinence from a rectal prolapse (protruding rectum), Dr. Santiago may perform a procedure to repair it.

Am I a candidate for abdominal surgery?

Schedule a consultation at the Colon and Rectal Clinic of Tampa Bay to see if you’re a candidate for abdominal surgery. Dr. Santiago determines if you’re a candidate for abdominal surgery based on your diagnosis and medical history.

To schedule an abdominal surgery consultation, call the Colon and Rectal Clinic of Tampa Bay or book an appointment online today.