Small Bowel Resection

At North Orlando Surgical Group, we are proud to have established a unique surgical practice characterized by superior skills and extraordinary services both to the patient we care for as well as their referring physicians.  We are recognized in Central Florida for our ability to perform complex procedures in the least invasive way.  Our attentive staff is focused on providing the highest level of personal services and are committed to making every patient’s surgical experience as comfortable and convenient as it can be.

Small bowel resection involves the removal of a segment of small intestine and reconnection of the two ends with sutures or staples. Depending on the diagnosis, non-surgical management may be the first course of action for certain diseases of the small intestine. However, in many diseases of the small intestine, surgical removal is recommended. In select patients, small bowel resection may be performed laparoscopically using small incisions and specially designed instruments.

The first step in the diagnosis of disorders of the small intestine that may require surgical treatment includes a history and physical examination. An upper gastrointestinal endoscopy may also be performed. In addition, a capsule endoscopy, which is a small camera that is swallowed and transmits pictures of the lining of the small intestine, may be performed. Other studies that may be used include plain abdominal X-rays, contrast x-rays (such as a small bowel series), and a CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis. Your primary care physician, gastroenterologist, and surgeon will discuss the options for diagnosis for your particular case.

Some Conditions that might require surgery of the small intestine can include:

• Bleeding, infection or severe ulcers in the small intestine
• Blockage in the intestines, either congenital (present at birth) or from scar tissue
• Non-cancerous Tumors
• Pre-cancerous Tumors
• Cancer
• Injuries to the small intestine
• Crohn’s disease

The night prior to the procedure, you will be instructed to take nothing to eat or drink after midnight. In addition, you may be prescribed a bowel preparation. The preparation should be taken as instructed.

During a laparoscopic small bowel resection you will receive general anesthesia at the time of your surgery. You will have three to five small cuts in your lower belly. The surgeon will pass a camera and medical instruments through these incisions. You may also have a cut of about 2 to 3 inches if your surgeon needs to put a hand inside your belly to feel the intestine or remove the diseased segment. Your belly will be filled with gas to expand it. This makes it easy for the surgeon to see and work. If there is enough healthy small intestine left, your surgeon will sew or staple the healthy ends of the small intestine back together. Your surgeon may also look at lymph nodes and other organs in your belly area. In that case other options may need to be considered such as an ileostomy or colostomy.

At North Orlando Surgical Group our surgeons are minimally invasive experts. We pride ourselves in treating our patients with skill and caring. Make the choice to see a surgeon with experience AND compassion; your health and well-being matters to us!