Part of the requirement for certification in General Surgery is expertise in endocrine surgery (remember, we said General Surgery is a specialty.) As a leader in minimally invasive techniques, Dr. Bell performs laparoscopic adrenalectomy as well as directed parathyroidectomy and mini-incision thyroidectomy.

Directed parathyroidectomy
We use preoperative localizing techniques to help direct removal of parathyroid adenomas. Surgery in most patients can be done as an outpatient procedure with an incision less than 1" long. Additionally we use intraoperative parathyroid hormone assay to ensure removal of the appropriate glands.

Mini-incision thyroidectomy:
We know that some surgeons write about doing endoscopic thyroidectomy and we have evaluated their technique. We have come to the conclusion that we can essentially the same procedure using minimal incision length without requiring the use of the endoscope. Shortening incision length is typically limited by the size of the gland that needs to be removed, not by the type of imaging used - and so we rely on the 3-dimensional perspective not afforded by the endoscope but afforded by binocular vision. Many of our patients are able to go home the day of surgery.

Adrenalectomy:
Dr. Bell performed his first laparoscopic adrenalectomy over 10 years ago and was one of the first in Colorado to do so. He continues to perform this procedure regularly.