Gallbladder removal is one of the most common surgical procedures performed in the United States and the majority of patients are women, ages 18 to 44. Now with the hospital’s use of da Vinci's revolutionary technology, these patients can benefit from less bleeding, less pain, quicker recovery time and minimal scarring.

The procedure involves using a newly FDA-approved da Vinci® Single-Site™ technology, part of the da Vinci® Surgical System, to remove a diseased gallbladder through a single small incision — less than an inch in length — from a port inserted inside the patient’s belly button, a vast improvement from how these surgeries have been traditionally performed. The incision, hidden in the fold of the belly button, is virtually scarless once healed.

John A. Steers, M.D., Carroll Hospital Center’s director of minimally invasive general surgery, is performing Single-Site da Vinci robotic gallbladder surgery on eligible candidates. The first and only surgeon in Carroll County to perform these surgeries, Dr. Steers has performed more than at any other hospital in Maryland.

To find out more about da Vinci surgery at Carroll Hospital Center, or single-site gallbladder surgery, please call 410-871-7000.