About Colorectal Surgical Associates
From pelvic floor therapy and minimally invasive colon procedures to comprehensive cancer surgery, we provide a full spectrum of colorectal care to Kansas City and the surrounding communities.
Highly specialized diagnosis, treatment and surgical care of conditions related to the colon and rectum.
When colorectal surgery is necessary, we believe it should be precise, state-of-the-art and minimally invasive to minimize your discomfort and reduce healing time.
Conditions we treat
Our specialists offer surgical solutions and treatments for a range of conditions, including:
- Anal abscess
- Anal cancer
- Anal fissures
- Anal lesions
- Anal warts
- Colon dysfunction
- Colon cancer
- Colon polyps
- Colon tumors
- Colorectal cancer
- Colovaginal fistula
- Colovesical fistula
- Constipation
- Crohn’s disease
- Diverticular disease
- Diverticular stricture
- Fecal incontinence
- Hemorrhoids
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Lower GI bleeding
- Pelvic floor dysfunction
- Pruritus ani
- Rectal cancer
- Rectal dysfunction
- Rectal polyps
- Rectal prolapse
- Ulcerative colitis
Minimally invasive surgery
Preparing for colorectal surgery can feel overwhelming, but you're not alone. We focus on minimally invasive techniques that use small incisions and advanced tools to provide effective care with less impact on your body, helping to reduce scarring, ease pain, and support a faster recovery.
Our approach includes advanced methods such as robot-assisted and laparoscopic surgery, each tailored to meet your specific needs.
Robot-assisted surgery
This technique allows your surgeon to operate through small incisions using advanced robotic tools they'll control from a nearby console. The system includes:
- Surgeon console—Provides a high-definition, 3D view of your anatomy, giving your surgeon precise control over instruments
- Patient-side cart—Holds the surgical instruments that respond in real time to your surgeon’s movements
- Vision cart—Allows the care team to monitor the procedure through a connected display
Laparoscopic surgery
Laparoscopic surgery uses small incisions through which your surgical team will insert a tiny camera () and specialized tools. This allows your surgeon to perform precise procedures while viewing detailed images on a screen. Like robot-assisted surgery, laparoscopic techniques often lead to less pain, shorter hospital stays, and faster recovery.
Minimally invasive procedures we offer
Our surgeons offer minimally invasive options for many colorectal surgeries, including:
- Colorectal cancer surgery, including local excision— removal of a tumor and surrounding tissue and transanal resection (removal of rectal tumors through the anus
- Colectomy—removal of all or part of the colon
- Diverticulitis surgery—removal of inflamed pouches in the colon
- Lateral sphincterotomy—an incision in part of the anal muscle to ease pain
- Lower anterior resection—removal of part of the rectum through the abdomen
- Rectal prolapse repair—a repair of the rectum if it has slipped out of place
- Ulcerative colitis surgery—surgical treatment of sores in the lining of the colon and rectum
In addition to these procedures, we offer specialized treatments designed to address complex colorectal conditions with minimally invasive care, including J-pouch surgery and bowel-control therapy.
J-pouch surgery
If you have chronic ulcerative colitis or familial adenomatous polyposis, J-pouch surgery can be an option if other treatments have failed. This procedure involves your surgeon creating a pouch from the small intestine to allow for normal waste elimination after removal of the colon. Using minimally invasive and often robot-assisted techniques, this approach can help reduce scarring, speed recovery and improve surgical outcomes.
Bowel-control therapy
Chronic bowel-control issues can greatly impact your daily life. Our bowel-control therapy uses gentle nerve stimulation to help manage bowel function and improve communication between the brain and the bowel. This minimally invasive therapy offers a trial period so you can see if it works for you before committing long-term. Many patients experience reduced symptoms and an improvement in their quality of life.
Other surgeries we offer
We offer effective surgical techniques to treat a range of colorectal conditions, including minimally invasive surgery and cancer surgery. We've also helped many patients with traditional colorectal surgical procedures. Our team will help you prepare for surgery and the recovery process.
Anoplasty
Anoplasty surgery can help regain normal function of the anus by widening the anal canal so you can pass stools more easily. The most common condition our doctors treat with anoplasty is anal stenosis, a narrowing of the anal canal. Anal stenosis is commonly caused by hemorrhoidectomy (surgery to remove hemorrhoids) or a congenital (present from birth) anal defect. The process may take place in one surgical procedure or may require multiple procedures, depending on the severity of your condition.
Colostomy
A colostomy is an opening made during surgery in the abdominal wall to treat disease that’s impacting part of your colon. The end of the colon (large intestine) is brought through this opening, called a stoma, to replace the anus as the exit of stool. A colostomy may be temporary or permanent, depending on the severity of the problem. Doctors commonly use temporary colostomies to allow the bowel to heal from diverticulitis, obstructions or a colon injury.
Once your bowel heals, your doctor can reconnect the colon to the rectum, if you’re healthy enough to have surgery. The average time for a colostomy reversal is three to 12 months after your surgery.
Diverticulitis surgery
Your doctor may recommend surgery if you're experiencing complications from diverticulitis such as a bowel abscess, fistula, obstruction or perforation. Surgery may include:
- Bowel resection with colostomy—Your surgeon will remove diseased segments of intestine and connect an opening in your abdomen to the healthy part of your colon for waste to pass into a bag
- Primary bowel resection—Your doctor will remove diseased segments of the intestine and reconnect healthy segments
Lateral sphincterotomy
Lateral internal sphincterotomy is a surgery we use to treat an anal fissure (a tear in the opening of the anus that can cause pain, itching and bleeding). Your surgeon will make an incision in the internal anal sphincter to relieve tension with the muscle to reduce spasms and pain. Once we relive the pressure, the anal fissure is more likely to heal.
Rectal prolapse surgery
If you have a rectal prolapse (a condition in which the rectum turns inside out and sticks out through the anus), your doctor may recommend surgery to put your rectum back in place. These procedures involve attaching the rectum to the muscles of the pelvic floor or the lower end of the spine. It could also involve removing a section of the large intestine that is no longer supported by surrounding tissues. Your surgeon will determine the best course of action depending on diagnosis. Surgical options include:
- Perineal rectosigmoidectomy—Your surgeon will remove the prolapsed rectum via incision in the protruding rectum
- Sigmoid resection and rectopexy—Minimally invasive rectal surgery
Rectovaginal fistula repair
A rectovaginal fistula is hole in the vagina that opens into the rectum. There are several reasons this might happen, including inflammatory bowel disease like Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis or tearing and infection after vaginal childbirth. The goal of surgery is to remove the fistula tract and close the opening by sewing healthy tissue together. Our surgeons provide effective surgical techniques to treat rectovaginal fistulas, including:
- Performing a colostomy before repairing the fistula to divert stool through an opening in the abdomen instead of the rectum, in cases of complex or recurrent fistulas
- Repairing the anal sphincter muscles if they’ve been damaged or if scarring has occurred
- Sewing an anal fistula plug (a patch of biologic tissue) into the fistula to prompt tissue to grow into the patch
- Using a tissue graft taken from a nearby part of the body or creating a flap to cover the fistula
Ulcerative colitis surgery
Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that affects the lower intestine and rectum. We offer several types of surgery to treat ulcerative colitis, including:
- Colectomy—This is also known as a bowel resection to remove part of your colon or rectum
- Hemicolectomy—This procedure removes the left or right part of the colon
- Proctocolectomy—This involves permanently removing the colon and rectum and creating a stoma to pass stool
- J-pouch surgery—This minimally invasive procedure involves creating a pouch from the small intestine to allow for normal waste elimination after removal of the colon
Diagnostics and imaging
In order to provide you with the right diagnosis and treatment for your colorectal condition and its symptoms, we use advanced and accurate testing procedures that are minimally invasive.
Anorectal manometry and electromyography (EMG) testing
An anorectal manometry test measures the strength of the anal sphincter muscles, sensation in the rectum and the reflexes needed to pass a normal bowel movement. This test helps us accurately determine if you have fecal incontinence or severe constipation.
A complete anorectal manometry includes an EMG to evaluate the electrical activity in the sphincter muscle. We'll also evaluate the nerve supply to the anal muscle and its ability to easily squeeze and contract the muscle.
This safe, 30-minute procedure is generally painless. During the procedure, we'll ask you to lie down on a flat table on your left side. Our technician will insert a small, flexible tube with a balloon into your rectum. If you are allergic to latex, the technician may use a latex-free balloon. The device is connected to a machine that measures pressure, and as the technician inflates the balloon, it will analyze your ability to squeeze, relax and push using your rectum and anal sphincter muscles.
To prepare for this procedure, we'll ask you to purchase two enemas that you'll use at least two hours prior to leaving home for your study. You'll have to fast (not eat or drink) before your test. If you have diabetes, you may need to adjust your medication. You can take regular medications with small sips of water two hours before your study. Your provider or your technician will provide further instruction.
Colonoscopy
We recommend a routine colonoscopy for every adult over 45 or over 40 with a family history of colon cancer. It is considered the most effective means of early detection of colon cancer and other digestive disorders.
A colonoscopy lets us analyze the health of the inner lining of your rectum and colon. While you are sedated (under anesthesia) to reduce discomfort, a specialist will insert a long, flexible tube with a camera inserted at the end into your anus and through the colon.
The most important preparation for any colonoscopy is the cleaning of your colon and bowels. Your specialist or technician may ask you to:
- Avoid solid foods and drink clear liquids 24 to 48 hours before your procedure.
- The night before the colonoscopy, take a prescription laxative tablet or solution with one gallon of water to prevent dehydration. Your specialist will provide instructions on how much to drink the night before and in the morning.
- Arrange travel arrangements for getting to and from the procedure.
Sigmoidoscopy
A sigmoidoscopy procedure lets us examine the last third of your colon, looking for possible conditions such as polyps or colorectal cancer.
If you're experiencing the following symptoms, your specialist may recommend a sigmoidoscopy to help diagnose your condition:
- Abdominal pain
- Changes in normal bowel movements
- Family history of colorectal cancer
- Rectal bleeding
- Sudden unexplained weight loss
During this procedure, the technician will insert a sigmoidoscope (a short, flexible tube) through your anus. The device, which has a light and camera attached at the end, allows the technician to get a full view of the descending colon, the last two feet of the large intestine. Sometimes, we may need to take tissue samples through the scope for further analysis.
If your specialist schedules a sigmoidoscopy for you, you may need to prepare for your procedure as if you were preparing for a colonoscopy. You may need to clear your bowels by using one or more enemas at least two hours before your procedure. You may also need to be on a liquid diet several days before you procedure and limit your diet to foods and liquids such as:
- Clear broths
- Gelatin
- Plain tea or coffee
- Sports drinks
- Water
Our legacy of caring
Since 1991, we’ve been proud to uphold the tradition of excellence established by Drs. W. Edwin Conner and John W. Heryer, who were pioneers in colorectal care in Kansas City starting in 1979. Our practice combines compassionate care with advanced surgical techniques to treat conditions affecting the intestines, colon, rectum and anus.
As a Center of Excellence for colon and colorectal surgery recognized by Menorah Hospital, we are honored to be trusted by gastroenterologists across the Kansas City metro area and beyond to provide compassionate care. Our board-certified surgeons have advanced training in colorectal and general surgery and are dedicated to treating each patient as an individual and take the time to explain your care in a way that’s easy to understand. We believe that trusting relationships support the best outcomes.
With four convenient locations — Overland Park, Gladstone, Independence and Lee’s Summit — and our affiliations with a wide range of hospitals and surgical centers throughout the region, we're close by when you need us.
