Colorectal Surgery

A colorectal surgeon, sometimes called a proctologist, is a general surgeon with specialized training in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the colon, rectum and anus. Some general surgeons perform certain types of colorectal surgery as part of their practice. However, colorectal surgeons are specialists and only perform this type of surgery.

Your primary care doctor or gastroenterologist may refer to Essentia Health for colorectal surgery. Our skilled and experienced surgeons perform the following treatments and procedures:

• Abdominoperineal resection (APR) – Removes the anus, rectum, and last part of the large intestine, usually to treat cancer
• Colectomy – Takes out all or part of a diseased or damaged large intestine
• Fistula treatment – Fixes a hole that formed near the anus
• Hemorrhoid treatment – Removes severely swollen, painful veins in the anus or rectum
• J-pouch surgery – Takes out the large intestine and rectum to treat ulcerative colitis, and then creates a J-shaped bowel for you to store and pass stool
• Ostomy surgery – Creates a new opening for waste after colorectal disease
• Perianal abscess treatment – Drains pus around the anus

Whenever possible, your surgeon will take a less-invasive approach that uses only small incisions. That means you’ll recover faster with less pain and scarring. Depending on your condition, your surgeon may use:

• Transanal endoscopic microsurgery – Uses a special microscope and instruments that allow the surgery to be performed through the anus inside the rectum. This procedure requires no cuts of the anus or abdomen.
• Robotic-Assisted Surgery – Allows surgeons to perform minimally invasive procedures with the assistance of a robot. Two surgeons operate the robot, which moves more steadily than human hands, and this approach improves the surgeons’ view, precision, and control. Robotic surgery has also been proven to improve surgical outcomes.