About Your Hernia Surgery
Simply put, a hernia is a hole or tear in a muscle layer that allows an internal organ or fat to protrude. This protrusion may be too small to feel, but still may hurt. The risk of any hernia is that the involved organ can become "strangulated" with little warning. A strangulated hernia requires emergency surgery which is always riskier than the same surgery if done electively. Not all hernias need to be repaired though. Sometimes a "watchful waiting" approach is better, as long as that is done by you, in conjunction with your surgeon.
Click below for a handout from the American College of Surgeons on hernia surgery. These are for educational purposes only. Only you and your surgeon can decide what is right for you.
About Your Gallbladder Surgery
Your gallbladder is located under your right lower rib cage. Along with your liver, it helps you digest fats and remove waste products from your blood. Gallbladders can become blocked by gallstones and cease to function properly. Once a gallbladder is defective, the only reliable remedy is surgery to remove it. Diets almost never work for any length of time. After the gallbladder is removed, and after a short adjustment period, the liver and a "common" duct system take over the function of the removed gallbladder, and you can eat almost anything you want at that point. Dr Corvo almost exclusively uses the da Vinci robot for his gallbladder surgery, and has an almost zero percent conversion rate to the old fashioned "open procedure", while most traditional laparoscopic approaches have a 5% or more chance of being converted to an open (incisional) procedure Robotic surgery often leads to a less painful and faster recovery.
Click below for a handout from the American College of Surgeons on gallbladder surgery. This is for educational purposes only. Only you and your surgeon can decide what is right for you.
About Your Colon Surgery
Your colon, also known as your large instestine, or lower intestine, is approximately four feet long and is responsible for the final stages of digestion, including firming up your stool, readying it for evacuation. Several diseases are common in the large instestine, most notably diverticulitis and colon cancer. While there are techniques to decrease the chances of getting these troubles in the first place, once they become problems, surgery can become effective cure for many people. Click below for a handout from the American College of Surgeons on colon surgery. This is for educational purposes only. Only you and your surgeon can decide what is right for you.
About Robotic Surgery
The evolution of surgery now includes "robots" that assist the surgeon during operations.
During traditional open surgery, there is usually a relatively long incision to allow access for the surgeon. Laparoscopic, or "minimally invasive" surgery allows the same surgery to be performed through much smaller incisions, about 1/4 inch each. These smaller incisions lead to less pain, a better cosmetic result, and a faster return to activities, but they come at a price: the 3 dimensional view and depth perception of open surgery is replaced by the 2 dimensional view of a flat panel LCD screen, and the surgeon is forced to use straight, stiff instruments with limited and unnatural motions. The use of the daVinci operating robot allows Dr Corvo to use natural three dimensional vision again, restoring depth perception, and the robotic instruments return the natural hand and wrist motions that are lost during traditional laparoscopic surgery. In fact, Dr Corvo has almost twice the normal human hand range-of-motion when using the da Vinci robot. This combination leads to better visualization and easier manipulation, which in turn should lead to safer surgeries. Dr Corvo has been an instructor in robotic surgery for several years, and developed a "laser-sighting" device for more accurate robotic surgery. He was the first person in New England to perform a "single incision" robotic gallbladder removal- imagine your whole scar inside your belly button!
Dr Corvo almost exclusively uses the da Vinci robot for his surgeries,
Pioneering New Pain Control Techniques
Along with the Department of Anesthesia while at Stamford Hospital, Dr. Corvo has been a pioneer in the use of local-regional anesthesia techniques for abdominal surgeries. Dr Corvo and Dr Theresa Bowling, former Chairwoman of the Department of Anesthesia at Stamford, are nationally recognized speakers, explored “Enhanced Recovery” before it became well known in this country, and have ongoing research in these techniques. Non-opioid pain medicine usually is not strong enough for the pain of a surgical procedure, and opioid based pain medication has numerous side effects, including nausea, vomiting, constipation, headaches and confusion. While regional anesthesia has been widely used for orthopedic procedures, its use is relatively new in the arena of abdominal surgery. Utilizing ultrasound guidance, and after giving sedation, long acting local anesthesia is placed into a very specific location in the abdominal wall: the Transverse Abdominus Plane (TAP). This area is the location of the nerves that provide sensation to the entire abdominal wall. A successful block can frequently allow a patient to leave the hospital with zero pain. Dr Corvo has successfully used these blocks for almost all abdominal surgeries. After using these techniques, a patient undergoing colon surgery can expect less pain, a faster return of bowel function, earlier discharge from the hospital and faster return to activities. These blocks may not be right for everyone, so please discuss them with Dr Corvo and the anesthesiologist taking care of you
Simply put, a hernia is a hole or tear in a muscle layer that allows an internal organ or fat to protrude. This protrusion may be too small to feel, but still may hurt. The risk of any hernia is that the involved organ can become "strangulated" with little warning. A strangulated hernia requires emergency surgery which is always riskier than the same surgery if done electively. Not all hernias need to be repaired though. Sometimes a "watchful waiting" approach is better, as long as that is done by you, in conjunction with your surgeon.
Click below for a handout from the American College of Surgeons on hernia surgery. These are for educational purposes only. Only you and your surgeon can decide what is right for you.
"OUTIES" ARE HERNIAS !
This protrusion may be too small to feel, but still may hurt. The risk of any hernia is that the involved organ can become "strangulated" with little warning. A strangulated hernia requires emergency surgery which is always riskier than the same surgery if done electively. Not all hernias need to be repaired though. Sometimes a "watchful waiting" approach is better, as long as that is done by you, in conjunction with your surgeon.
Click below for a handout from the American College of Surgeons on hernia surgery. These are for educational purposes only. Only you and your surgeon can decide what is right for you.
Your colon, also known as your large instestine, or lower intestine, is approximately four feet long and is responsible for the final stages of digestion, including firming up your stool, readying it for evacuation. Several diseases are common in the large instestine, most notably diverticulitis and colon cancer. While there are techniques to decrease the chances of getting these troubles in the first place, once they become problems, surgery becomes a more effective cure for many people. Click below for a handout from the American College of Surgeons on colon surgery. This is for educational purposes only. Only you and your surgeon can decide what is right for you.
About Your Gallbladder Surgery
Your gallbladder is located under your right lower rib cage. Along with your liver, it helps you digest fats and remove waste products from your blood. Gallbladders can become blocked by gallstones or sludge and cease to function properly. Once a gallbladder is defective, the only reliable remedy is surgery to remove it. Diets almost never work for any length of time. After the gallbladder is removed, and after a short adjustment period, the liver and a "common" duct system take over the function of the removed gallbladder, and you can eat almost anything you want at that point. Dr Corvo almost exclusively uses the da Vinci robot for his gallbladder surgery, and has an almost zero percent conversion rate to the old fashioned "open procedure", while most traditional laparoscopic approaches have a 5% or more chance of being converted to an open (incisional procedure). Robotic surgery often leads to a less painful and faster recovery.
Click below for a handout from the American College of Surgeons on gallbladder surgery. This is for educational purposes only. Only you and your surgeon can decide what is right for you.
Simply put, a hernia is a hole or tear in a muscle layer that allows an internal organ or fat to protrude. This protrusion may be too small to feel, but still may hurt. The risk of any hernia is that the involved organ can become "strangulated" with little warning. A strangulated hernia requires emergency surgery which is always riskier than the same surgery if done electively. Not all hernias need to be repaired though. Sometimes a "watchful waiting" approach is better, as long as that is done by you, in conjunction with your surgeon.
Click below for a handout from the American College of Surgeons on hernia surgery. These are for educational purposes only. Only you and your surgeon can decide what is right for you.