Latest Treatments for Colorectal Diseases

Building on that commitment, patients can now take advantage of specialized treatments and procedures for diseases of the colon, rectum and anus, which were previously unavailable in the area, close to home.

Board-certified colon and rectal surgeon Peter M. Kaye, M.D., joined Ramapo Valley Surgical Associates one year ago. With his arrival came the availability of new, minimally invasive techniques that treat a wide range of colorectal disorders. Minimally invasive colorectal surgery offers many benefits to patients — compared to an open surgical approach — including less pain, minimal scarring, shorter hospital stays and faster return to normal activities. Dr. Kaye will work out of Good Samaritan Hospital, one of three facilities that are part of The Bon Secours Charity Health System.

Patients who require colon surgery often face a long and difficult recovery because the traditional, open method is highly invasive. In most cases, surgeons are required to make a long incision, and the average, required hospital stay generally lasts a week or more.

Dr. Kaye also brings unique expertise in performing laparoscopic colon resection, an alternative to an open operation that has revolutionized abdominal surgery. The technique is used to remove diseased sections of the colon that can result from colon cancer, polyps, diverticular disease, inflammatory bowel disease, intestinal polyps, ulcerative colitis or large 
bowel obstruction.

“Laparoscopic colon resection requires a very steep learning curve. It’s technically a difficult surgery to perform,” notes Dr. Kaye.

According to the American College of Surgeons, fewer than 10% of all colon resections are done using this approach. During a laparoscopic colon resection, Dr. Kaye uses tiny incisions to introduce a camera and surgical instruments into the patient’s abdominal cavity. The high-powered camera lens transmits magnified images of the patient’s internal organs to a television monitor, which 
Dr. Kaye uses to help carefully guide him through the procedure as he removes the diseased section of the colon. Because the surgery is minimally invasive, patients have less pain and recover much faster than with traditional colon resection surgery. Laparoscopic colon resection takes more time to perform than an open method, but patients reap the benefits of less trauma to the body and minimal effects from surgery on their immune systems. They also require a shorter hospital stay, resume normal, daily activities sooner, and can often return to work earlier. Recent studies have found laparoscopic colon resection to be equivalent to the traditional open procedure in the treatment of colon cancer, while offering all the benefits of a laparoscopic approach.

In addition to his expertise as a colorectal surgeon, Dr. Kaye also diagnoses, treats and manages common disorders such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and other related inflammatory conditions of the small and large intestine, diverticular diseases, functional intestinal diseases, and a variety of anorectal diseases — including hemorrhoids and anal fissures.