Colorectal Surgery
Surgery for the colon, rectum and anus — from screening colonoscopy and polyp removal through to treatment of colorectal cancer, diverticulitis and inflammatory bowel disease. Most of what we do is minimally invasive, which usually means smaller incisions, less pain and a shorter stay.
These are conditions people put off talking about. We would rather you came in early, when there are more options, than wait until the decision is made for you.
Conditions of the colon, rectum and anus
If what's bothering you isn't on this list, call anyway — it is not an exhaustive one.
Colorectal cancer and polyps
Colon cancer, rectal cancer, and the precancerous polyps that most of them begin as. Found early, a polyp is removed during a colonoscopy and the story ends there.
Diverticular disease
Diverticulitis, recurrent flare-ups, abscess and perforation. Many cases settle with antibiotics; surgery is for the ones that keep coming back or turn complicated.
Inflammatory bowel disease
Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, when medication is no longer holding the disease or a stricture, fistula or abscess has developed.
Hemorrhoids and anal fissure
Bleeding, pain, itching and prolapse. Most are managed without an operation. When surgery is the right answer, it is a short procedure and you go home the same day.
Anal fistula, abscess and pilonidal disease
Painful, recurring and genuinely miserable to live with. All three are treatable, and an abscess needs to be seen quickly rather than waited out.
Rectal prolapse and bowel obstruction
Prolapse repair, adhesions, strictures and obstruction, including repair after previous abdominal surgery elsewhere.
Screening now starts at 45, not 50
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force lowered the recommended starting age to 45 in 2021, because colorectal cancer is being diagnosed in younger adults more often than it used to be.
Colorectal cancer is one of the few cancers that screening can prevent outright rather than just catch early. Polyps are removed during the same appointment in which they are found, before they ever become cancer.
- Start screening at
- Age 45 for adults at average risk
- Colonoscopy interval
- Every 10 years if the result is normal
- Screen earlier if
- A parent, sibling or child has had colorectal cancer or advanced polyps, or you have inflammatory bowel disease or an inherited syndrome
- Don't wait for screening if
- You have rectal bleeding, a lasting change in bowel habits, unexplained weight loss or ongoing abdominal pain — those need to be looked at now, whatever your age
How these conditions are treated
Surgery is rarely the first step. When it is the right step, these are the operations most often involved.
Colonoscopy and polypectomy
Examination of the full colon with removal of any polyps found in the same session.
Laparoscopic colectomy
Removal of a diseased segment of colon through several small incisions rather than one long one.
Bowel resection and reconnection
Removing the affected section and rejoining healthy bowel, for cancer, diverticulitis or Crohn's disease.
Hemorrhoid procedures
Banding, excision and stapled procedures, chosen according to grade and symptoms.
Fissure and fistula surgery
Sphincterotomy, fistulotomy and seton placement, with the aim of protecting continence.
Pilonidal excision
Drainage of an acute abscess, or excision and closure for disease that keeps returning.
Ostomy creation and reversal
Including reversal of a temporary ostomy created during an earlier operation, here or elsewhere.
Rectal prolapse repair
Abdominal and perineal approaches, selected on the basis of your age, fitness and how much tissue is involved.
From first call to recovery, in one building
MISH is a small hospital built around surgery. For colorectal care that matters more than it sounds — the imaging, the operation and the follow-up all happen in the same place, on one record, with the same team.
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You meet the surgeon
A full conversation about your symptoms, your history and what you want out of treatment — before anything is scheduled.
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Imaging and workup on site
CT, ultrasound and X-ray are in the same building, so you are not driving across the metro and waiting a fortnight between appointments.
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A plan you understand
What the operation involves, what the alternatives are, what recovery looks like, and what it will cost. In plain language, in writing.
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Surgery and recovery
Most minimally invasive colorectal procedures mean a shorter stay than open surgery. Your surgeon sees you afterwards — not a covering team you have never met.
Already have a diagnosis? Bring your imaging, pathology and operative notes to the first visit. A second opinion on a colorectal cancer or a failed previous repair is a perfectly reasonable thing to ask for, and we are glad to give one.
Who performs these procedures
Paramjeet Sabharwal, MD
General Surgery
Board-certified general surgeon. Co-founder of MISH.
Wanda Kaniewski, MD
General Surgery
Board-certified general surgeon. Co-founder of MISH.
Talk to someone about it
Whether it is a screening colonoscopy you have been putting off or a diagnosis you were given last week, the first step is the same conversation.
Request an appointment Call 913-322-7408
MISH Hospital and Clinics · 10951 Lakeview Ave, Lenexa, KS 66219