This groundbreaking single-port total colectomy was performed by Akron General's Charudutt Paranjape, MD, laparo-endoscopic and trauma surgeon and medical director of Acute Care Surgery.
Dr. Paranjape is among a few elite surgeons who perform this type of procedure. Traditionally, total colectomy requires one 12-inch open incision or four to five small incisions if performed utilizing minimally invasive (laparascopic) techniques.
The cutting-edge single-port technique utilized by Dr. Paranjape requires only one small incision through the navel, just three centimeters in length.
"Advanced surgical techniques and instrumentation make it possible to now perform colon removal through one tiny entrance to the body. Patients recover amazingly fast and heal to the point you can hardly tell they underwent abdominal procedure," explains Dr. Paranjape.
In the case of the Ravenna woman, the patient suffered from decades of ulcerative colitis, a disease that causes inflammation and sores in the lining of the rectum and colon.
Additional complications created a situation where she required a total colectomy with minimal trauma to the body and lowest chance of excessive bleeding. The single-port total colectomy resulted in minimal bleeding and virtually no scar. In addition, the patient returned to part-time work the day after she was discharged.
WKYC-TV