Surgery for Colon & Rectal Conditions

Surgeons at NYU Langone Colon and Rectal Surgery specialize in minimally invasive techniques that result in smaller incisions and can reduce recovery time, postoperative pain, and surgical scarring. 

These techniques also reduce your chance of needing an ostomy, which is a procedure in which an opening in the body is created that allows for the direct removal of waste products. A colostomy, for example, creates an opening in the colon, through which waste exits the body and is then collected in a bag or pouch. 

Your surgeon helps you decide which procedure is best suited for you.

Robotic-Assisted and Laparoscopic Colon and Rectal Surgery

During both laparoscopic and robotic surgery, small incisions provide access for a tiny camera and surgical instruments that are controlled from outside the body. 

During laparoscopy, the surgeon directly controls the movement of the instruments. With robotic surgery, the surgeon directs the da Vinci^® Surgical System to make movements that are more precise and controlled than a human wrist. The system’s advanced imaging system provides surgeons with a three-dimensional, high-definition view that allows for enhanced surgical precision, decreased scarring, and the prevention of nerve damage that could affect urinary and sexual function. 

Robotic and laparoscopic techniques can be used to treat people with colon and rectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and diverticular disease. These techniques are also used when specialists remove large polyps, which are precancerous growths in the colon. 

Both methods can be used for J-pouch surgery, also known as ileal pouch-anal anastomosis, during which the colon and rectum are removed during the treatment of ulcerative colitis and familial polyposis. They are also used to perform rectopexy, a procedure that secures the rectum to the back wall of the pelvis. This surgery is used to treat people with rectal prolapse, a condition in which the rectum “falls” from its place within the pelvis, often protruding through the anus. 

Transanal Minimally Invasive Surgery 

Transanal minimally invasive surgery, also known as TAMIS, allows surgeons to manage rectal masses, polyps, and cancer through the anus instead of through an incision in the abdomen. This method lessens the likelihood of needing a permanent colostomy. 

Transanal Total Mesorectal Excision 

During transanal total mesorectal excision, rectal cancer surgery is performed through the anus instead of through the abdomen. This approach results in smaller incisions than with a transabdominal approach.