Blog Archive
Hernias happen when an organ or tissues protrude through a muscle wall, like your abdominal or diaphragm. Inguinal hernias are the most common type of hernia, forming in your lower belly or groin area (above or below a tough, fibrous band called the inguinal ligament). These hernias are much more...
Every year, about a half million Americans undergo gallbladder surgery for gallstone-related symptoms. Also called cholelithiasis or biliary colic, a gallbladder attack typically happens when tiny concretions called gallstones form inside your gallbladder and block the ducts that release bile and other digestive fluids. When your gallbladder contracts during digestion,...
Nearly 160,000 new cases of colorectal cancer are diagnosed each year, according to the American Cancer Society. Fortunately, those numbers have been declining, thanks to the increased use of colorectal cancer screening tests. Today, there are multiple screening options, and understanding those options can help you select the correct method....
Bowel problems are surprisingly common, ranging from relatively mild issues, like occasional constipation or diarrhea, to severe and even life-threatening problems, like twisted colon or colon cancer. While most milder issues can be treated conservatively, serious bowel problems often require a surgical solution to relieve symptoms and prevent serious complications....
Gallstones are a frequent medical complaint, affecting millions of Americans every year. While many people associate gallstones with belly pain, especially on the right side of the abdomen, shoulder pain is a surprisingly common symptom, too. At Desert West Surgery, our team is skilled in diagnosing gallbladder problems and recommending...
Roughly 3 million Americans are diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a chronic disease including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. IBD causes ulcers, bleeding, and other damage to the digestive tract, with symptoms that affect overall health and quality of life. Without proper management, IBD symptoms can be life-threatening. Desert...
As many as a million hernia repair surgeries are performed each year in the United States, according to data from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). If you have a hernia, you’re probably wondering if you might add to that number. While hernias won’t heal independently, you might not need...
Robotic surgery might sound like the stuff of science fiction, but it’s a reality — and actually, it’s been playing an essential role in many medical procedures for decades. Commonly called robot-assisted surgery, the technology is designed to enhance the surgeon’s skills and expertise rather than replace the surgeon entirely....
Melanoma is an uncommon skin cancer that accounts for only about 1% of all skin cancers. But despite its relative rarity, it’s the most deadly type of skin cancer, requiring rapid diagnosis to prevent it from spreading. Melanoma happens when pigment-producing cells called melanocytes grow out of control. About 100,000 people are diagnosed with melanoma...
As many as 900,000 Americans have ulcerative colitis (UC), a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the colon (large intestine) and rectum. While UC can be managed with medication and lifestyle changes, surgery is sometimes necessary to prevent further complications. A top provider of ulcerative colitis treatment in Las Vegas, Nevada, Desert West Surgery offers...
About 20 million Americans suffer from thyroid disease, which includes several conditions that affect the butterfly-shaped gland that wraps around the front of your neck. The term “goiter” describes one type of thyroid problem that happens when the thyroid gland is enlarged and usually visibly swollen. While some smaller goiters cause no...
Every year in the United States, about 300,000 people have their gallbladders removed in a cholecystectomy procedure. Even though gallbladder problems are common, many people are reluctant to remove their gallbladders or simply don’t know when the time is right. A top-rated surgical practice in Las Vegas, Nevada, Desert West Surgery uses both minimally...
Hernias are a fairly common medical problem, affecting both adults and kids. If your hernia isn’t causing any symptoms, it’s tempting to think it’s OK to ignore it. But unfortunately, hernias don’t go away on their own, and they can’t be treated with medication. Instead, surgical repair is required. In...
Throughout a lifetime, more than 12% of Americans will suffer from a thyroid problem, including overactive or underactive thyroid, goiter, and thyroid cancer. While some thyroid problems can be treated with medicine or noninvasive therapies, other thyroid problems require surgery. At Desert West Surgery, our team of skilled surgeons uses...
As many as 3 million Americans have been diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a chronic digestive disease comprising two conditions: Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Unlike irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), with which it’s commonly confused, IBD causes permanent changes to the digestive tract, and it can be life-threatening. Although...
Diverticular disease is a relatively common gastrointestinal disease that becomes even more common with age. The National Institutes of Health estimates that about a third of adults in their 50s have the first “stage” of diverticular disease — diverticulosis. By the time we reach our 80s, that number exceeds 70%....
Every year in the United States, roughly 300,000 people have their gallbladders removed, a surgical procedure known as a cholecystectomy. That’s just a small portion of the 20 million Americans with gallstones, including many whose stones are asymptomatic. While pain is a symptom of gallstone problems, how it manifests can...
Colon cancer is, perhaps, a well-known reason for having colon surgery, especially when cancer has progressed to a more serious stage. But colon cancer isn’t the only reason why colon surgery is performed. At Desert West Surgery, our team is experienced in state-of-the-art surgical treatments for an array of serious...
It’s hard to think of the adverse effects of sun exposure when enjoying the warm, benevolent rays. But the sun is also a source of UV rays, the primary cause of skin cancers, including the deadliest type: melanoma. The team at Desert West Surgery uses advanced surgical techniques to treat melanoma, focused on ensuring the...
Every year, about 300,000 Americans have their gallbladders removed, a surgical procedure called a cholecystectomy. Although some surgeries are performed in people with cancer, most people who have their gallbladders removed do so because they have painful gallstones. At Desert West Surgery, our doctors offer two types of gallbladder removal surgery for patients at our Las Vegas, Nevada,...
Hernias form when an organ or other tissue pushes through a weak area of your abdominal wall. About 10% of Americans will have a hernia at some points. Hernias can cause a lot of discomfort, and they can also limit your activities. The good news: Hernia treatment can help by repairing the...
Thyroid cancer may not be as well known as some other types of cancer, like lung cancer, breast cancer, or colorectal cancer, but it’s just as serious. More than 43,000 Americans are diagnosed with thyroid cancer yearly, and about 2,200 people will die from the disease. Like other types of cancer, thyroid...
According to GI Alliance, millions of Americans suffer from digestive diseases, including diseases affecting the colon (or large intestine). In fact, the organization of gastroenterologists says digestive diseases are responsible for about a quarter of all surgeries every year in the United States. At Desert West Surgery, our team treats...
About a million Americans are diagnosed with gallstones every year, and of those, about 1 out of every 4 will need treatment — for most people, that means gallbladder surgery ( or cholecystectomy). Every year in the United States, roughly 300,000 people have their gallbladders surgically removed. A leading surgical...
About 1.3% of American adults suffer from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a chronic disease including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis (UC). One of the significant differences between these two types of IBD is where they occur: Crohn’s can affect any part of the digestive tract, while ulcerative colitis affects the...
About 20 million Americans have problems with their thyroid gland — and about 60% of those people don’t even know it. That’s because thyroid problems often cause subtle symptoms (at least at first), and sometimes, those symptoms can be mistaken for other problems. Many thyroid conditions, including hyperthyroidism, can trigger...
Every year in the United States, more than 360,000 Americans are hospitalized for acute or chronic pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas gland. That number has been steadily increasing, possibly due to the uptick in obesity rates in the U.S. Pancreatitis can be treated, but it’s essential to recognize the...
Hernias happen when part of an organ — usually the intestine — “pokes” through a weakness in muscle tissue that holds the organ in place. Although they sound unusual, hernias are very common. About 10% of Americans will develop some hernia within their lifetimes, and every year in the United...
Nearly a million Americans have ulcerative colitis, a disease that causes sore (ulcers) and inflammation in your large intestine (colon) and rectum. Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with symptoms that develop slowly over time. Ulcerative colitis can cause serious, life-threatening complications unless it’s actively and appropriately managed...
About 20 million Americans have thyroid disease, and up to 60% of those men and women don’t even know it. The remaining 40% have obvious symptoms, and for some people, that includes having an enlarged thyroid gland, also called a goiter. At Desert West Surgery, our providers are skilled in...
Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States, affecting about 3.3 million Americans each year. Thankfully, most of those cancers are slow-growing and highly treatable. But more than 100,000 of those men and women will be diagnosed with melanoma, an aggressive type of skin cancer...
Gallbladder surgery is one of the most common surgical procedures in the United States. Every year, at least 300,000 gallbladder removal surgeries (cholecystectomies) are performed in people who have symptomatic gallstones and other gallbladder problems. Skilled in both minimally-invasive and open surgical techniques, the team at Desert West Surgery helps...
Maybe you love Star Trek and Star Wars, maybe you don’t. But whether or not you’re a fan of science fiction, the word “robot” probably conjures up some pretty strong images, typically of a human-like contraption complete with flashing lights and retractable claws. With that image in mind, it’s easy...
Bowel problems aren’t uncommon, and many issues can be managed with medication or other conservative options. Sometimes, though, colon surgery (or colectomy) is the most appropriate option for treating more complex or severe problems and preventing serious complications. Desert West Surgery is a leading provider of state-of-the-art colon surgery in...
According to the American Thyroid Association, about 20 million Americans have thyroid disease, and more than 12% of Americans will develop thyroid disease during their lifetimes. Many times, thyroid disease can be treated with medication. But sometimes, surgery is the better solution. At Desert West Surgery, our team of skilled...
Gallbladder surgery is one of the most common surgeries performed in the United States. But not everyone with gallbladder problems needs to have surgery to relieve their symptoms. Sometimes, all it takes is a change in diet. At Desert West Surgery, our team provides patient-centered, individualized care for patients with...
About a million hernia repairs are performed each year in the United States. Even though they’re not uncommon, hernias can be difficult to detect — unless you know what symptoms to look for. At Desert West Surgery in Las Vegas, Nevada, our skilled team uses the most advanced methods to...
If you have diverticulitis, you know how painful the symptoms can be. While medication and surgery can help the most severe or chronic cases, many people can relieve symptoms and avoid them entirely by making a few simple changes to their diet. The team at Desert West Surgery has significant...
Having a colonoscopy is one of the smartest moves you can make to prevent colon cancer. It’s so important the American Cancer Society recommends that everyone should have their first colonoscopy around their 45th birthday, with regular screenings every ten years after that in most cases. Of course, just because...
A colonoscopy may be one of the most dreaded medical tests anyone has to undergo, but they are necessary to identify abnormalities in the rectum and colon. Sadly, more than 100,000 people are expected to receive a colon cancer diagnosis in 2020. Both men and women have a 4% lifetime...
One of the most common gastrointestinal (GI) disorders that affects people as they age is diverticulitis. It occurs when pouches, called diverticula, form at the end of your digestive tract in your colon. When the pouches get infected, you have an often painful condition called diverticulitis. At Desert West Surgery...
If you loosen up your healthy diet a bit over the holidays and indulge in all the sweets, treats, and rich foods, you are not alone. Most people gain a little weight in the weeks between Halloween and New Year’s Day. Unfortunately, all of that holiday eating can lead to...
Unfortunately, an estimated 12%, or 1 out of every 8, women will get invasive breast cancer. In this year alone, more than a quarter-million new cases of the disease will be diagnosed. Many of them will need breast surgery to treat the disease. Because early detection vastly increases survival rates,...
Of all the cancers, skin cancer is the most common. The statistics are troubling: 20% of all Americans will get skin cancer by the time they reach age 70 Your risk of developing deadly melanoma doubles if you’ve accidentally been sunburned five times or more Sadly, in the United States,...
A hernia is a common condition where a portion of an internal organ pushes through your muscle wall or connective tissue. They commonly develop in the abdominal region, like when your intestines protrude through delicate or compromised structures in your stomach. Whether your hernia developed suddenly or over weeks and...
Your gallbladder is one of those body parts that you most likely never think about. It resides just under your liver on the right side of your abdomen. You may not even fully realize what role it plays in your automatic, everyday functions. When your gallbladder is healthy, it houses...
According to the American Cancer Society, there will be nearly 53,000 new thyroid cancer cases in 2020. This type of cancer affects women much more than men and is often found in early adulthood. At one point, thyroid cancer was one of the fastest-growing types of cancer, but advances in...
If you’ve been diagnosed with a hernia, your doctor likely shared with you that hernias don’t resolve on their own and almost always require surgery. Studies show that hernia repairs are among the most common general surgeries in America. Our team at Desert West Surgery offers a range of expert...
As the government works to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, Dr. Deborah Birx, Response Coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force, called for physicians and dentists to stop all elective surgeries for the time being. This is not only to minimize the spread of the infectious disease,...
When you have pain in your abdomen, it’s hard to pinpoint its origin. It could be appendicitis, indigestion, a kidney stone, or an intense stomach ache. Because our bodies are so intricate, detailing your symptoms helps our team zero in on the problem area and get to work on a...
Surgery can be extremely taxing, even when it’s only for a minor condition or as an exploratory procedure. Along with preparing your home, medicine cabinet, and family for your recovery, you also need to prepare your body and mind. Prehabilitation before your surgery can help speed rehabilitation afterward. At Desert...
Diverticulitis isn’t a rare condition. It’s a condition that affects your digestive tract and is more likely to happen as you age, most commonly affecting people 40 and older. Diverticulitis is the result of inflammation of small pouches that have the ability to form inside your intestines. Diverticulitis occurs not...
Your pancreas is a small, leaf-shaped gland behind your stomach and in front of your spine. Its main purpose is twofold: to produce hormones that regulate your glucose metabolism and to produce digestive enzymes. Put simply, pancreatitis occurs when your pancreas gets inflamed when those enzymes start harming the gland...
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers that affect American women. Based on what we now know, about 12% of women born in the United States today will develop breast cancer at some point in their lives. Because your health is our priority, the team of doctors here...
It’s hard to believe that something as small as your thyroid can play such an important role in your body. But, even though it’s only the size of your thumb, your thyroid produces hormones triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). T3 and T4 reach almost every cell in your system and...
In 2019, doctors saw more than 100,000 new cases of colon cancer and nearly 50,000 new cases of rectal cancer. Sadly, colon and rectal cancer combined (often referred to as colorectal cancer) are expected to cause more than 50,000 deaths in 2019. Many may laugh at or shrug off the...
You may have heard about hernia pain from a colleague or friend who’s had one. Knowing it’s a condition that may require an operation, you want to do what you can to avoid developing a hernia. The good news is that there’s a lot you can do to avoid a...
Pain in your upper abdominal area sent you to the doctor. You’ve been diagnosed with gallstones, and your physician at Desert West Surgery says the gallbladder needs to come out, so you’re scheduling surgery. At the same time, you may want to know more about gallstones and why they developed....
You’ve been diagnosed with a hernia. A noticeable lump and/or pain in your groin, abdomen, or stomach sent you to the doctor. Your physician at Desert West Surgery explains that internal tissue or even an organ has broken through an opening in a weak muscular wall that keeps your body...
In an ideal scenario, every component in your body goes the distance with you, serving you well for a lifetime. But life can have different plans, and disease or illness may require that you make a sacrifice for your greater good. This can be true of your colon, and the...
If you’re having your gallbladder removed, you may be focused on the procedure itself and on preparing for it. But knowing how to take care of yourself after your operation is just as important. Here at Desert West Surgery in Las Vegas, we’ll do everything we can to minimize your...
There are over 130 million emergency room visits each year. With over 130 million emergency room visits each year, here the the most common reasons. Migraines and/or severe headaches.For most of us, headaches can be common in our lifetime; however, migraines are far more common and more painful. For some,...
When you are learning about breast cancer, you may be overwhelmed by the different surgical options presented before you. At Desert West Surgery, we ensure that you are provided with all important information about different breast surgeries so that you know everything you need to and can feel at ease...
One of the most common causes of gallbladder pain is gallstones (also called gallstone disease, or cholelithiasis). Gallstones occur when cholesterol and other substances found in bile form stones. When the stone passes from the gallbladder into the small intestine or become stuck in the biliary duct it can cause pain. Gallstones also can become trapped in the neck of the gallbladder, which...
Robotic surgery is an innovative way to make surgical procedures more precise and effective. At Desert West Surgery, surgeons are well versed and trained in using the da Vinci robotic surgical equipment. Robotic surgery or assisted robotic surgery with the da Vinci Surgical System was approved by the Food and Drug Administration...
If we are fortunate, we will all grow old enough to worry about it feels like to be old. Around the age of thirty most of us realize that things aren’t as they once were. That’s great if you had a misspent youth, but it becomes concerning as you get...
A hernia is a condition that occurs as a result of bodily organs pushing through the cavity that contains them. Organs are prone to wander from their appointed cavities if your muscles in that area are weak or if you strain to hard. The most common type occurs in the...
Real Surgery Becomes Virtual Just when we were ready to go to war with our kids over their habit-forming video gaming obsessions, the medical field may have given them the perfect comeback. Over the last few years it appears that the video gaming industry’s hugely popular virtual reality devices are...
Make Your Life More Palatable In this country we are always finding excuses to celebrate something by naming a month in the year The National (Fill-In-The-Blank) Month. There are some truly vital things to remember and celebrate, like the month of March as National Nutrition Month. Just a few weeks...
Upper abdominal pain can be serious enough to merit a trip to the emergency room. Here are symptoms to take seriously and could be a reason to ER. Sweating. One of an ER physician’s red flag for danger can be sweating. If you are suffering pain that causes you to sweat...
The future of surgery may very well look like something out of the Matrix, where minute robots roam a human body diagnosing, medicating, and mending from the inside out. State of the art robotics are best exemplified by the da Vinci Surgical System when addressing minimally invasive procedures. “Study the...
Heart disease is a silent creeper. A person who seems perfectly healthy one day, might suddenly be diagnosed with cardiac problems the next. That is why the American Heart Association has made February, American Heart Month, to help spread awareness about cardiac health. All through this month, there are awareness...
Anyone who has ever through surgery is all too familiar with the excruciating pain that follows most procedures. Post-surgical pain is inevitable, but there are means to mitigate and manage the pain to make it less debilitating, and reduce the dependence on medication. Proper pain management starts immediately after surgery...
Over the last year a bright light was focused on a health epidemic that had been brewing under the radar across the country. Opioid addiction has been a quiet but devastating problem for many years. Thanks to elevated attention by the national media, and an announced “war” against it by...
Mastectomy vs. Lumpectomy – Which is a better option? Women who are diagnosed with breast cancer are almost immediately recommended to make major treatment choices. Two of the most common options given to patients with breast cancer, are to either remove the cancerous tissue in the breast or to remove...
Did you know that Gastroparesis was officially included in the National Health Observances Calendar in the year 2016? This day is celebrated to raise and spread awareness of this common gastrointestinal disorder. What is Gastroparesis? Gastroparesis is a medical condition consisting of a paresis (partial paralysis) of the stomach, resulting in food remaining in...
In honor of Grave’s disease awareness month, we at Desert West Surgery want to share the signs, symptoms, and treatments of this disease. Grave’s disease is an autoimmune disorder whereby your thyroid gland begins to produce excess amounts of thyroid hormone. This condition is one of the most commonly reported forms of...
A hernia is a physiological condition whereby an organ in your body pushes through an opening in the tissue or/and muscle holding it in place. For example, the intestines may push through a part of the abdominal wall that has become weakened. Hernias generally develop in the abdominal area, but it...
Melanoma is one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer due to multiple reasons. One of the main reasons is the fact that suspicious moles and brown spots go unchecked for many years. Without early detection, the cancerous cells accelerate their growth and destroy healthy skin cells. Melanoma is often...
During a cholecystectomy, which is a surgical procedure for removing the gallbladder, you may have a procedure known as intraoperative cholangiogram. In this procedure, a catheter is placed in the cystic duct, which helps in draining bile into the common bile duct from the gallbladder. The common bile duct is...
A liver biopsy is a procedure that is performed to remove a sample of the liver tissue. This is done by inserting a needle between two right lower ribs. The tissue sample that is taken is then sent to the lab and looked at under a microscope to detect if...
Laparoscopic hernia repair is carried out just like any other laparoscopic procedure. General anesthesia is given first, after which a small incision is made just below or at the navel. The abdomen is then inflated with air to facilitate the surgeon to be able to see all the abdominal organs...
Patients with potentially curable colorectal cancer can gain shining results with a properly performed surgery. In the majority of such cases, a surgical operation involves removal, or resection, of the primary cancer and the lymph nodes surrounding it. There are a number of different types of surgical procedures that are...
If you are someone you know has gone through surgery, you should be aware of the basic instructions that need to be followed both pre- and post-surgery. For those that have an upcoming surgery, follow the pre-op instructions from your doctor. Fasting is one of the most important criteria before a...
National Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month For many Americans, Atrial Fibrillation or AFib is an unknown health condition that affects millions of Americans. Unfortunately many Americans are unaware of this serious health condition that is responsible for nearly 350,000 hospitalizations a year. Today, over 5 million people in America live with AFib,...
Treatment Options For Prostate Cancer Prostate cancer is a complex disease that demands comprehensive care. After the disease has been properly diagnosed, treatment options will be chosen based on the stage of the cancer, the age of the patient, lifespan, and personal opinions. Some of the treatment options for prostate...
If you find a lump in your breast or suspect that you may have breast cancer, one of your best options is to come to Desert West Surgery and receive a lymph node biopsy to check if your lump is cancerous. We have a profound and committed oncological surgeon, Wydell...
It’s not surprising that the week of Thanksgiving was chosen as GERD awareness week, especially with our tendency to indulge in a little too much pumpkin pie, stuffing, and yams! GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) is a common disease that affects millions of Americans. Everyone has heartburn on occasion, but there...
Robotic Surgery Demonstration Using da Vinci Surgical System With the da Vinci Surgical System, surgeons operate through just a few small cuts or incisions. The da Vinci System offers a magnified 3D high-definition vision system and tiny wristed instruments that bend and rotate far greater than the human hand. As a result, da Vinci enables your surgeon...
Do you have an upcoming surgery? Are you thinking of a post-surgery diet to follow while recuperating after your surgery? Eating the right foods can help you recover more quickly. They can help in speeding up the healing process, minimizing the bruising, inflammation, and swelling that often come with a...
Oncological Surgery Oncological surgery is used to diagnose, stage and treat cancer, and certain cancer-related symptoms. At Desert West Surgery, our experienced surgeon Wydell L. Williams Jr., M.D., F.A.C.S. has performed thousands of procedures and will discuss the surgical options that are best suited to your individual needs. Dr. Williams is Board Certified...
Robotic surgery is always performed by our experienced surgeons at Desert West Surgery The da Vinci Si is a surgical platform that uses small, precise, minimally invasive tools entirely controlled by specially trained surgeons. This system offers the surgeon more exact movements and a far wider range of motion within...
The da Vinci Surgical System is used to stitch a grape back together. The same technology that can be used to suture a tiny grape is designed to help perform delicate, minimally invasive surgery.
When you or someone you love has been diagnosed with a serious ailment that may need immediate surgical intervention, you should make sure that you understand about all of the available medical options. You should find out which are the least invasive, most effective surgical treatments available for your condition....
Millions of Americans undergo surgery every year for many reasons whether elective or in an emergency or necessity. For many of us, the thought of surgery can fearful and nerve-racking to say the least, fraught with questions, doubts and uncertainties. Thankfully for many Americans, surgery can be planned and is...