A group of medical professionals working together in a hospital setting.

Colon & Rectal Surgery

About Us

You can count on any one of Springfield Clinic's colon & rectal surgeons to provide compassionate care in a collaborative environment. As a team, we share a sincere commitment to exceptional medical outcomes and superior patient care.

Our colon and rectal surgeons are partnered with Southern Illinois University School of Medicine's Colon and Rectal Fellowship program. A fellowship is an elite and focused one-year program that provides surgeons advanced training in colon and rectal surgery.

Our Services

Colonoscopies

Includes access to screening & diagnostic colonoscopies.

Disorders of the anus and rectum

Our surgeons treat a wide spectrum of diseases and conditions of the anus and rectum, which include hemorrhoids, anal fissures anal fistulas, condyloma (anal warts) and anal cancers. Treatment can include surgical or nonsurgical approaches as well as dietary counseling.

Diverticulitis

Our colon and rectal surgeons are well versed in the treatment of acute and complicated diverticulitis. Conservative (nonsurgical) treatment is often successful with intravenous or oral antibiotics and dietary adjustment. If surgery is necessary, our surgeons are frequently able to provide a single-stage surgery. This means that a stoma is avoided, and that stoma will not require surgery at a later date to reverse.

Minimally invasive surgery

Our colon and rectal surgeons maintain up-to-date surgical techniques using advanced laparoscopic and robotic techniques.

Genetic testing for colorectal cancers and syndromes

Our colon and rectal surgeons offer consultation visits to discuss known or suspected genetic mutations that predispose individuals and their families to colon cancer syndromes like Lynch syndrome or familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). We help identify at-risk individuals by taking extensive personal and family history information. Then, we will order and facilitate any genetic testing for the suspected cancer syndrome.

Pelvic floor lab (PFL): Fecal incontinence/constipation

Our team provides diagnostic tests, such as manometry and electromyography, to develop a treatment plan for constipation and incontinence. Treatment options include dietary changes, neuromuscular retraining and surgery.

Inflammatory bowel disorder

Inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, occasionally require surgery. Our colon and rectal surgeons work with your gastroenterologist to diagnose and plan the best surgical procedure for the diseased colon or small bowel. One such procedure is a total abdominal proctocolectomy, where your surgeon creates a neorectum, called a J pouch. This avoids a permanent ileostomy.

Your Colonoscopy

A colonoscopy with a Springfield Clinic doctor can typically be scheduled within two weeks of your initial consultation. Patients with acute symptoms, like blood in the stool, will be given the highest priority and worked in as soon as possible. 

Most screening colonoscopies are completed at Springfield Clinic's Surgery Center by our colon and rectal surgeons and gastroenterologists.

To schedule your colonoscopy or for more information, call Springfield Clinic at 217.528.7541.

Colorectal Cancer

Graphic encouraging individuals to get checked and schedule a colonoscopy

Colorectal cancer affects the large intestine (colon) or the rectum. Because colon cancers and rectal cancers have many features in common, you can refer to them together as “colorectal cancer.” Cancerous tumors that begin in the colon or rectum may also spread to other parts of the body.

Our surgeons in Colon & Rectal Surgery and Gastroenterology recommend getting screened regularly after turning 50—it could save your life! Screening tests, the most common of which is a colonoscopy, help find abnormal growths before they turn into cancerous tumors, so they can be removed. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), about one-third of adults over 50 have not been screened for colorectal cancer. 

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