Surgical Specialties

Learn more about the daVinci Surgical System

Ear, nose and throat (ENT) physicians, also called otolaryngologists, specialize in treating problems of the ears, nose, sinuses, pharynx, larynx, oral cavity, neck, thyroid, salivary glands, bronchial tubes and esophagus. Surgery can range from common tonsillectomy (removal of the tonsils) to more complicated removal of malignant tumors. Head and neck surgeries are done by general surgeons, otolaryngologists and plastic surgeons, depending on the procedure and the physician's individual training. ENT doctors also are responsible for microsurgeries on the smallest bone in the body: the stapes, also called the ear's stirrup bone.

The gynecologic surgeons at St. Joseph perform surgery for all types of benign gynecologic disorders, and offer special expertise in the more complex problems, such as management of urinary and fecal incontinence, vaginal prolapse and reconstructive surgery in the pelvis. In cases of cancer, gynecologic surgeons take an integrated approach to the diagnosis and treatment of patients. The gynecologic surgeon is involved in all aspects of the surgical management of the patient's gynecologic cancer, including postsurgery follow-up.

Learn more about the Liver and Pancreas Center.

The Orthopaedic Institute at St. Joseph Medical Center is one of the largest orthopaedic programs in the state. In addition to a top-rated sports medicine program, the Institute includes joint replacement, spine surgery, upper extremity (shoulder, elbow and hand) surgery, and foot and ankle surgery. Also, the Institute's Scoliosis and Spine Center is one of few facilities in the United States with Food and Drug Administration approval to perform the highly complex total disc replacement surgery. The orthopaedic team performs more than 4,000 procedures annually in specially equipped operating rooms staffed by surgeons, nurses and technicians dedicated to orthopaedic surgery. Thanks to advanced techniques and technology, a wide range of orthopaedic procedures can be performed on an outpatient basis. These include arthroscopic knee repair, endoscopic carpal tunnel release and arthroscopy of the shoulder and rotator cuff.

Learn more about the Orthopaedic Institute at SJMC

The Thoracic Surgery division is a full-service program to surgically treat thoracic, lung and esophageal disorders. Thanks to pioneering techniques in minimally invasive surgery, thoracoscopy and thoracic surgery offer excellent results with small incisions and a faster recovery for operations that previously required large incisions and had lengthy recoveries.

Minimally invasive procedures include:

• Esophagectomy
• Thymectomy for myasthenia gravis
• Thoracoscopic Sympathectomy
• Other Surgical Techniques

In addition to treating thoracic cancers, the thoracic surgeons at St. Joseph Medical Center also evaluate and treat the following benign conditions:

• GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease)
• Hyperhidrosis
• Myasthenia Gravis
• Emphysema

Urology is the branch of medicine concerned with the medical and surgical treatment of the urinary tract in men, women and children, and with the reproductive tract in men. According to the National Kidney Foundation, kidney and urologic diseases affect more than 13 million people, or about 5 percent of the U.S. population. The number of people affected by these diseases is expected to grow as the populations of older adults and racial and ethnic minority groups increase. The urologic surgeons at St. Joseph are specialists in general urology, prostate surgery, including the new da VinciTM prostatectomy technology, incontinence surgery, kidney stone surgery, laparoscopic urology, male infertility, male sexual dysfunction, pediatric urologic surgery and urinary tract obstruction. Surgical treatment of urologic cancers of the kidney, bladder and testicles also are included. For men diagnosed with prostate cancer, St. Joseph offers an innovative procedure called radioactive seed therapy, or brachytherapy.

The word "vascular" refers to the body's circulatory system - the blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to the body's organs (the arteries) and from the organs back to the heart (the veins). Vascular surgeons at St. Joseph are committed to the treatment of vascular conditions, which include abdominal aortic aneurysm, arterial blockage and reconstruction, stroke prevention and more. Traditionally, multiple incisions were required to visualize blood vessels. Now, catheters can be passed through tiny incisions to visualize them via arteriography.