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Surgical Services

Minimally Invasive Surgery

Minimally invasive surgery uses tiny incisions and precise instruments. This causes less trauma than traditional surgery, giving you a faster and more comfortable recovery.

Benefits of minimally invasive surgery

Minimally invasive surgery is generally safer than traditional surgery. Most surgeries performed at Tanner are minimally invasive.

The benefits of small incisions are a big deal for you:

  • Small incisions take less time to heal — as little as two weeks, compared to six to eight weeks with traditional surgery.
  • There’s less risk of infection because the incisions are smaller.
  • Smaller incisions mean less discomfort, so you need fewer pain-relieving medications.
  • Less trauma to the skin and tissues of the body leads to less scar tissue.
  • Because the incisions are smaller, there’s less blood loss during surgery.
  • Often, patients can go home the same day (within 24 hours) of their surgery so they don’t have to stay in the hospital to recover.

How is minimally invasive surgery performed?

Traditional surgery usually requires a single, large incision. But minimally invasive surgery uses a series of smaller incisions.

Minimally invasive surgery is sometimes called laparoscopy, since it involves inserting a tiny camera through one of the small incisions. The camera lets the surgeon see without making a large incision.

Small instruments are inserted through other incisions. The number and location of incisions depends on the surgical procedure. Surgeons and surgical technicians use these tools to perform surgeries that once required large, open incisions and long, painful recoveries.

four hands performing surgery

Minimally invasive surgeries

Our surgeons offer a host of minimally invasive surgical options, including:

Do you need surgery?

Our surgeons continually train to offer the latest minimally invasive surgery options. Find a listing of doctors on our medical staff. Make an appointment for an evaluation or speak to your primary care provider about a referral.

Diverticulitis: Is Surgery Right for You? - David Griffin, MD

Diverticular disease is a common condition that causes a weakening in the wall of the colon, resulting in marble-sized pouches, or diverticula, that protrude through the colon wall. When one or more of these becomes inflamed, it can cause cramping and pain, and lead to infection and fever. After a a handful of diverticulitis attacks, most people seek surgery to correct the problem. Tanner surgeons use minimally-invasive robotic surgery to remove the part of the colon causing the problem. This type of surgery shortens a patient's hospital stay and recovery time. View Dr. Griffin's physician profile >

Minimally Invasive Hernia Repair - Austin Lewis, MD

Could you have a hernia? Most people who have a hernia first notice a bulge or knot on their belly or groin area, which can be uncomfortable or even painful. According to Austin Lewis, MD, a surgeon with Carrollton Surgical Group, there are two main types of hernias: ventral hernias and inguinal hernias. Both types can be repaired with an outpatient surgery that is a traditional (open) surgery or a minimally invasive surgery. The latter provides a faster recovery and less post-operative pain. View Dr. Lewis' physician profile >

Hemorrhoids: Causes, Treatments and Prevention - Brian Barden, MD

According to Brian Barden, MD, a board-certified surgeon with Carrollton Surgical Group, hemorrhoid disease is caused primarily by pregnancy and excessive straining in the bathroom. Most hemorrhoid patients experience swelling and pain, turning first to over-the-counter remedies. When those no longer suffice, Dr. Barden performs hemorrhoid banding, a revolutionary outpatient procedure requiring no anesthesia and no downtime. Some hemorrhoids may require an outpatient surgery that requires a longer recovery. No matter which surgery is performed, the relief can be life-changing for hemorrhoid patients.


Where to go for minimally invasive surgery

We have three state-of-the-art surgery centers offering minimally invasive surgery:

Higgins General Hospital

Higgins General Hospital
Surgery Department

Phone: 770-824-2275 or 770-824-2282

Located inside the hospital. Enter through the main entrance and sign in at Registration.

Tanner Medical Center Carrollton

Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton Surgery Department
and Pre-Surgical Care Center (PSCC)

Phone: 770-812-9224

Located inside the hospital. Enter through Tanner’s Clinic Avenue entrance.

The PSCC is on the ground floor between Diagnostic Imaging and Bistro ’49. 

Free valet parking is available.

Tanner Medical Center Villa Rica

Tanner Medical Center/Villa Rica
Surgery Department

Phone: 770.812.3700

Located inside new Surgical Services unit on the floor above the emergency department.

 A growing number of outpatient surgical options are also being offered at Tanner Medical Center/East Alabama in Wedowee.

 

Advancing Your Recovery From Surgery

Surgery isn't the ordeal it used to be. 

Minimally invasive procedures — made possible through advances in medicine and technology such as robotic surgery systems — allow physicians to work with more precise tools through smaller incisions, allowing for a faster and safer recovery with less discomfort for patients. 

In fact, about 90% of all surgical cases performed at Tanner Health System are on a same-day basis, with the patient discharged from the hospital to recover at home within 24-hours of their procedure.

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Surgery Team

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Robotic Surgery

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Patient Passport

Step-by-step instructions on what to do
before and after your procedure.

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