Evergreen Healthcare employs transanal endoscopic microsurgery for colorectal tumor removal

Evergreen Healthcare today announced that it has successfully integrated a colorectal procedure called transanal endoscopic microsurgery to its growing suite of minimally invasive surgical options, reducing the need for major surgery and providing patients with faster recovery times.

Transanal endoscopic microsurgery, or TEMS, allows for the removal of challenging colorectal tumors without an abdominal incision, allowing patients to avoid colostomies as part of the procedure, as well as reducing local cancer recurrence, pain and the risk of complications.

Evergreen's Dr. Harry Kahn began utilizing TEMS in August 2011 and is currently the only surgeon in Washington state to employ the breakthrough technique. The procedure targets precancerous or early-stage tumors or lesions of the rectum that are difficult to reach through traditional surgical methods and would typically require open abdominal surgery.

TEMS is especially valuable for elderly or at-risk patients who benefit from an alternative to the risks of major rectal surgery.

"We are extremely pleased with the results we have seen since Dr. Kahn first rolled out this advanced surgical technique," said Evergreen Healthcare CEO Bob Malte. "Evergreen remains committed to offering a full complement of minimally invasive surgical options to address each individual patient's need, and we are proud to be the only hospital in Washington providing this procedure."

Recovery time for TEMS patients is frequently only one to two weeks, and they typically return home within a day. Conventional surgical methods may require a five- to 10-day hospital stay and an additional four to six weeks of recovery at home.

"TEMS is a very precise technique that uses microsurgical instruments to excise large, flat tumors from patients with improved ease and vastly increased patient comfort," said Dr. Kahn, a U.S. News and World Report Top Doctor in 2011. "Most TEMS patients only need over-the-counter medication after the procedure and they often are right back to work, which is pretty remarkable."

The TEMS procedure was originally developed in Europe and has become very refined and effective in recent years. It is also much more feasible today thanks to advances in diagnostic equipment that can more accurately assess the patient's stage of cancer.

Evergreen offers a comprehensive range of minimally invasive surgical services, from Dr. Kahn's TEMS colorectal surgeries to Single Site robotic-assisted gallbladder removal to computer-navigated spinal and orthopedic surgery, which includes MAKOplasty, a partial knee and hip replacement operation.