What's New
New Procedure Holds Many Benefits.
The adrenal glands, located adjacent to the kidneys, produce several important hormones.
Tumors may form in the glands, causing overproduction of one or more of these hormones.
Department of Surgery endocrine surgeons are removing these tumors with incisions through the patient's back instead of belly.
New Option in Treating Type 2 Diabetes
Eighty-three percent of patients experience a complete remission of type 2 diabetes after the weight loss procedure gastric bypass surgery, even before weight loss occurs.
Endocrine surgeon-researchers at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons are working to understand the reasons behind this unexplained benefit.
The Thyroid Surgery Experts
Columbia's New York Thyroid/Parathyroid Center pioneered many of the advances now employed to ease discomforts associated with thyroid gland removal to treat thyroid cancer.
Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy, and typically affects young and middle-aged women.
At NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia, a longstanding clinic has evolved into what is now the renowned New York Thyroid Center.
The center was originally established at Columbia over 15 years ago by the late thyroid and parathyroid surgeon Paul LoGerfo, MD.
Today, the surgical staff of the center have developed many approaches that minimize or eliminate the need for surgical treatment of endocrine disorders.
Insulinomas are rare tumors of the pancreas that produce too much insulin.
Usually less than two centimeters in size, insulinomas are benign (noncancerous) in 90% of cases.
Without treatment, however, the extra insulin causes patients' blood sugar to drop, and can cause symptoms such as weakness, tremors, anxiety, hunger, headache, and in severe cases, coma or even death.
In a recent case, surgeons at the Columbia Pancreas Center were able to spare a patient from having to undergo major surgery by devising a completely novel solution.
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