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Radical Surgery Saves Life of Young Mom, California First

January 05, 2012
A team led by Alan Hemming, MD, transplant surgeon at UC San Diego Health System, has successfully performed the west coast’s first ex-vivo liver resection, a radical procedure to completely remove and reconstruct a diseased liver and re-implant it without any tumors. The procedure saved the life of a 27-year old mother whose liver had been invaded by a painful tumor that crushed the organ and entangled its blood supply. Read the full story.

Robotic Surgery with One Small Incision, U.S. First

December 21, 2011
On Tuesday, December 20th, Santiago Horgan, MD, chief of minimally invasive surgery at UC San Diego Health System was the first surgeon in the United States to remove a diseased gallbladder through a patient’s belly button with the aid of a new FDA-approved da Vinci Si Surgical System. With one incision, Horgan removed the gallbladder in 60 minutes. The patient returned home five hours after the groundbreaking surgery and reported minimal pain. Read the full story.

Other press coverage:

Read more groundbreaking achievements in the field of surgery in our Surgery Insider Newsletter


Recent Department of Surgery Press Releases

    UC San Diego Health System Receives National Achievement Award for Cancer Program
    May 01, 2013
    American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer Recognizes Quality Care UC San Diego Health System is a recipient of the 2012 Outstanding Achievement Award from the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer. Seventy-nine cancer care pro... (More)

    Women’s Wellness Day, Free to the Public on Saturday, April 13
    March 28, 2013
    On Saturday, April 13 from 8 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., UC San Diego Health System is hosting an interactive conference in La Jolla, focused on women’s health.  The event is free and open to the public. Fifteen leading experts will host insightful talks on ... (More)

    Kidney Sparing Surgery Underutilized for Patients Who Need It Most
    March 25, 2013
    Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have released study results that show national treatment trends in the surgical management of patients with kidney disease. The study found that partial and complete kidney re... (More)

    New Imaging Agent Enables Better Cancer Detection, More Accurate Staging
    March 20, 2013
    Drug Designed and Developed at UC San Diego School of Medicine Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have shown that a new imaging dye, designed and developed at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, is an effective... (More)

    UC San Diego Health System Listed among Nation’s Top Neurosurgery and Spine Programs
    March 15, 2013
    University of California, San Diego Health System has been named among “100 Hospitals with Great Neurosurgery and Spine Programs” by Becker's Hospital Review, a news publication for hospital and health system leadership. According to the Becker's ... (More)

    Sports Medicine Chief Christopher Wahl, MD, Blends New Techniques with Old School Philosophy
    March 04, 2013
    Nationally recognized orthopedic surgeon Christopher Wahl, MD, has joined the University of California, San Diego Health System as the new chief of Sports Medicine.  Recognized for his specialty in treating complex, high-energy traumatic sports inju... (More)

    Man Walks Again After Surgery to Reverse Muscle Paralysis
    February 27, 2013
    After four years of confinement to a wheelchair, Rick Constantine, 58, is now walking again after undergoing an unconventional surgery at University of California, San Diego Heath System to restore the use of his leg. Neurosurgeon Justin Brown, MD, ... (More)

    UC San Diego Health System Named One of the Nation's 100 Top Hospitals by Truven Health Analytics
    February 26, 2013
    University of California, San Diego Medical Center has been named one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals® for the second time by Truven Health Analytics, formerly the health care business of Thomson Reuters. Truven Health Analytics is a leading provi... (More)

    Study Shows Effectiveness of Magnetic Device for Treatment of Reflux Disease
    February 22, 2013
    A study published February 21st in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) provides clinical evidence of the safety and effectiveness of a new magnetic medical device to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Santiago Horgan, MD, professor... (More)

    Alternative Hip Replacement Technique Results in Faster Recovery
    February 04, 2013
    Only 15 Percent of Joint Replacement Specialists in Nation Capable of Muscle-Sparing Approach   University of California, San Diego Health System is one of only a few hospitals in the nation to offer computer-assisted navigation technology with th... (More)

    Surgical Technique Spots Cancer Invasion with Fluorescence
    January 10, 2013
    One of the greatest challenges faced by cancer surgeons is to know exactly which tissue to remove, or not, while the patient is under anesthesia. A team of surgeons and scientists at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have develo... (More)

    UC San Diego Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center Listed among Nation’s Best Heart Hospitals
    January 09, 2013
    The Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center located at University of California, San Diego Health System has been named among "100 Hospitals with Great Heart Programs" by Becker's Hospital Review, a business and legal news publication for hospital and health... (More)

    UC San Diego Medical Center One of First Five Comprehensive Stroke Centers in the Nation
    December 05, 2012
    Rigorous requirements highlight significant difference in the treatment of complex stroke cases UC San Diego Medical Center-Hillcrest is one of the first five facilities in the country, and the only center in San Diego County, to be certified as a ... (More)

    UC San Diego Cardiology Team Performs 100th Extraction Procedure with 100 Percent Success Rate
    November 29, 2012
    A multidisciplinary team from the Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center at University of California, San Diego Health System has performed its 100th lead (pronounced “leed”) extraction surgery, a delicate procedure to replace the thin wiring of lifesaving ... (More)

    UC San Diego Health System Awarded “A”s for Patient Safety
    November 28, 2012
    UC San Diego Health System was honored with two separate “A” Hospital Safety Scores by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits.  The A scores were awarded in the latest upd... (More)

    Optimal Care for Surgical Weight Loss Confirmed at UC San Diego Health System
    October 25, 2012
    Bariatric Program Accredited by ACS Bariatric Surgery Center Network The Bariatric Metabolic Institute (BMI) at University of California, San Diego Health System has been accredited as a Level 1 facility by the Bariatric Surgery Center Network (BS... (More)

    UC San Diego Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center Program Receives National Recognition
    October 24, 2012
    Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy program honored as “Center of Excellence” The physicians, surgeons and team members who pioneered the lifesaving pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE) procedure at University of California, San Diego Health System a... (More)

    Single-Site Laparoscopic Surgery Reduces Pain of Tumor Removal
    September 27, 2012
    Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have found that recovery from an emerging, minimally invasive surgical technique called Laparo-Endoscopic Single-Site Surgery (LESS) was less painful for kidney cancer patient... (More)

    Researchers Identify Link between Kidney Removal and Erectile Dysfunction
    July 30, 2012
    Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified a link between patients who undergo total nephrectomy - complete kidney removal - and erectile dysfunction. Results from the multi-center study were recently p... (More)

    Genetic Test May Reduce Need for Repeat Biopsy for Prostate Cancer
    July 17, 2012
    Karim Kader, MD, PhD, associate clinical professor at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, together with a team of researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine, have developed a genetic test to predict a man’s risk for prostate cancer.... (More)

    Gene Mutations Cause Massive Brain Asymmetry
    June 25, 2012
    Discovery could help lead to prevention of radical surgery in rare childhood disease Hemimegalencephaly is a rare but dramatic condition in which the brain grows asymmetrically, with one hemisphere becoming massively enlarged. Though frequently dia... (More)

    New Surgical Technique May Reverse Paralysis, Restore Use of Hand
    June 15, 2012
    Justin M. Brown, MD, reconstructive neurosurgeon at UC San Diego Health System, is one of only a few specialists in the world who have pioneered a novel technique to restore hand function in patients with spinal cord injury. In a delicate four-hour ... (More)

    UC San Diego Health System Awarded “A” for Patient Safety by The Leapfrog Group
    June 06, 2012
    On June 6, 2012, UC San Diego Health System was honored with an “A” Hospital Safety ScoreSM by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits. U.S. hospitals were assigned an A, B... (More)

    Invasive Bladder Testing Before Incontinence Surgery May Be Unnecessary
    May 02, 2012
    NIH-Funded Study Finds Office Visit Alone Just as Effective Invasive and costly tests commonly performed on women before surgery for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) may not be necessary, according to researchers at the University of California S... (More)

    First U.S. Case Since FDA-Approval, New Magnetic Device for Heartburn
    April 10, 2012
    On Monday, April 9, Santiago Horgan, MD, chief of minimally invasive surgery at UC San Diego Health System implanted the new FDA-approved LINX device in a 29-year old patient suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a chronic digestive... (More)