Gastrointestinal and Colorectal Surgeries We Perform

Your digestive tract is a complex system that can easily be disrupted by a number of diseases, a poor or insufficient diet, and even the presence of emotional stress. While some digestive problems can be remedied by taking prescription medicine and employing lifestyle changes, others require a surgical procedure to get things back on track. At Great South Bay Surgical Associates, we perform procedures to treat many types of stomach, small intestine and appendix disorders, using both open and laparoscopic techniques.

Here are some of the gastrointestinal and colorectal procedures that we provide:

Colorectal Surgery: Colorectal Surgery is performed to treat disorders pertaining to the rectum, anus and colon. It can be performed using either laparoscopic or robotic da Vinci techniques. The da Vinci technique is similar to the traditional laparoscopic procedure and “features a magnified 3D high-definition vision system and special wristed instruments that bend and rotate far greater than the human wrist.” Some of the more common colorectal surgeries include laparoscopic colectomies, proctocolectomy and bowel diversion surgery.

Hemorrhoid Surgery and Laser Treatments: Hemorrhoids are swollen veins around the anus that can potentially cause extensive pain and bleeding. Although many cases of hemorrhoids are treatable with topical medications, it is recommended that large hemorrhoids be treated with surgery. In addition to the traditional methods of surgical hemorrhoidectomy, we also practice laser, rubber band ligation and sclerotherapy procedures.

Pelvic Floor Procedures: Your pelvic floor is a very complex layer and usually functions very well, but it can be damaged if too much stress is placed upon it. If damage does occur, these procedures can be done to treat pelvic and rectal prolapse, fecal incontinence, chronic constipation, and anal or rectal pain complications.

At Great South Bay Surgical Associates, we strive to provide open and minimally invasive surgical solutions for any colorectal or gastrointestinal issues you may face. If you live in Nassau, Suffolk or the surrounding areas and are having complications with your digestive tract that require surgery click here to view our website or call us 631-321-6801 to schedule your free consultation today.

Meet Dr. John Simon!

At Great South Bay Surgical Associates, we believe in serving our patients with the highest level of consideration and professionalism. That’s why we hire only the best and most skilled surgeons in the field to perform our procedures. We know that it’s difficult to undergo any sort of medical procedure, big or small, which is why we want our patients to feel calm and comfortable with their doctor before, during and after the surgery.

With that in mind, today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. John Simon!

As a board certified surgeon, Dr. John Simon has been serving the community for over 25 years. He joined us at Great South Bay Surgical Associates in 1988, where he has practiced our tradition of care and precision for the past 27 years and counting. He is extremely skilled and committed to providing top notch surgical services to all of his patients.

In his time as a surgeon, Dr. Simon has performed thousands of procedures. He has successfully executed over 1000 colon surgeries, 1800 hernia repair procedures, and 1000 laparoscopic gallbladder surgeries. He has also performed a wide range of a open and minimally invasive abdominal procedures.

In addition to his position as a surgical doctor, he has also held many highly esteemed positions within the surgical field. Most notably, Dr. Simon served as a Department Chair in Surgery and a past President of the Suffolk County Medical Society. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and is held in high regards as the president and founder of the Long Island Laparoscopy Society. Aside from his prestigious positions and demanding work schedule, Dr. Simon also finds time to serve as an adjunct clinical professor at NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYCOM) and a clinical assistant professor at the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine.

To learn more about how Dr. Simon can help you, give us a call at 631-321-6801 today!

At Great South Bay Surgical Associates, we strive to provide open and minimally invasive surgical solutions for any vascular or general health issues you may face. If you live in Nassau, Suffolk or the surrounding areas and are in need of a surgeon, click here to view our website or call us 631-321-6801 to schedule your free consultation today.

Our Vascular Surgery Procedures

The surgeons at Great South Bay Surgical Associates specialize in a variety of vascular surgery procedures. Our goal is to provide quality care for all of our patients' vascular health needs, performing both cosmetic and medical procedures as necessary. Here’s a list detailing some of the vascular surgeries that we provide:

Laser Treatment for Varicose Veins helps to minimize the appearance of varicose and spider veins. It is a simple procedure that uses laser heat to produce scar tissue that inevitably causes the unsightly vein to close and lose it’s blood source, disappearing over time.

Sclerotherapy Injection Treatments have been practiced since the 1930s, and involve injecting a salt solution directly into the veins, causing the lining of the blood vessels to swell and stick together. This will eventually cause a clot that will turn to scar tissue, eliminating unwanted varicose and spider veins.

Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) Filter Placements work to stop blood clots from traveling from your leg or pelvis area to your lungs, causing a life-threatening pulmonary embolism. Our surgeons will successfully place the filter into your IVC using a topical anesthetic and a delivery catheter.

Endovascular Arterial Surgery is used specifically to treat Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD), a disease of the arteries which causes narrowing and poor circulation. Patients who suffer from PAD often experience muscle pain and cramping. Our surgeons perform three types of endovascular arterial procedures: Angioplasty, stent placement and atherectomy.

A Carotid Endarterectomy works to combat Carotid Artery Disease by removing plaque buildup in the carotid arteries that can cause abnormal blood flow and in some cases strokes.

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Surgery repairs weakened areas within the aorta wall. Since the aorta is the largest artery in the body, delivering oxygenated blood from the heart to the rest of the body, it is very important that you keep yours healthy. This surgery is performed by placing stents into the aorta through small incisions

At Great South Bay Surgical Associates, we strive to provide surgical solutions for all of your cosmetic and medical vascular needs. Serving patients in Nassau, Suffolk and the surrounding areas, our team of leading surgeons is committed to providing exceptional services with state of the art technologies. For more information or to schedule a consultation, click here to view our website or call 631-321-6801 today.

Meet Dr. John Francfort!

At Great South Bay Surgical Associates, our surgeons are leading doctors in their respective fields, hailing from prestigious colleges, universities and surgical training programs country-wide. We want our patients to be calm and comfortable when undergoing any type of procedure, which is why we’ve decided to bring the doctors to you in our “Meet the Doctors” blog series.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. John Francfort!

Dr. John Francfort first received his surgical training in Philadelphia, PA at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. After completing his training and earning his degree at UPenn, he went on to specialize in vascular surgery through a training program at Northwestern University in Chicago, IL. As such, he currently holds a dual board certification in both general and vascular surgery.

But that’s not all! Dr. Francfort continued to further his studies while giving back to the education system as an assistant professor of surgery at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, PA for quite some time. Since then, he has moved on to become a clinical assistant professor of surgery at both Stony Brook University and NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYCOM) on Long Island, where he still teaches today.

Like all of the doctors at Great South Bay Surgical Associates, Dr. Francfort has held many prestigious positions in the past, including acting as a former president of the eastern Long Island chapter of the American College of Surgeons. Currently, he is chairman of the Department of Surgery at Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center.

As for surgical procedures, Dr. Francfort does it all! He’s highly skilled in performing a high volume of surgical cases including laparoscopic procedures, surgical oncology, breast, GI and colorectal care, gallbladder surgery, venous laser surgery and endovascular arterial surgery.

To learn more about how Dr. Francfort can help you, give us a call at 631-321-6801 today!

At Great South Bay Surgical Associates, we strive to provide open and minimally invasive surgical solutions for any vascular or general health issues you may face. If you live in Nassau, Suffolk or the surrounding areas and are in need of a surgeon, click here to view our website or call us 631-321-6801 to schedule your free consultation today.

Surgical Oncology Procedures

What is surgical oncology, and how did it begin?

Surgical oncology is a specialized surgical field that focuses on the treatment and removal of a variety of types of tumors. The first known instance of an oncological procedure was reported in 1809, when Ephraim McDowell operated on an ovarian tumor. Although this is the first reported instance of oncology, it is said that ancient Egyptians left evidence describing procedures used to remove breast tumors that were performed during the 7th century.

What is the goal of surgical oncology?

As in all surgeries, oncological surgery is meant to help curative efforts, specifically for a variety of types of cancer.  Prior to recommending a surgical procedure, the surgeon must first facilitate a consultation with the patient where diagnostic and staging studies are performed.  This will help the surgeon determine whether the tumor is operable or not as is, and the results will assist in developing a curative and surgical plan for the patient.  The ultimate goal of a surgical oncologist is to extract the entirety of the cancer and clear margin, hopefully leading the patient down the road to a cancer-free recovery.

What surgical oncology procedures do we specialize in?

At Great South Bay Surgical Associates, we provide a wide variety of surgical oncology procedures such as:

• Breast Cancer Surgery (lumpectomy) - Including nipple sparing and skin sparing cancer procedures, lymph node preserving procedures to prevent lymphedema, and breast reconstruction
• Gastrointestinal Cancer Surgery - Including stomach (gastric), small bowel, colon and rectal surgery (available using both laparoscopic and open techniques)
• Melanoma and Skin Cancer Surgery with sentinel node techniques
• Sarcoma Treatment (tumors of muscle)

At Great South Bay Surgical Associates, we pride ourselves in the multitude of services and procedures that we offer to our patients in Nassau and Suffolk counties. Comprised of eight leading doctors in the surgical field, our team is committed to providing exceptional services by using state of the art technologies while upholding our traditional values of caring and quality.  For more information or to schedule a consultation, click here to view our website or call 631-321-6801 today.

What is Laparoscopic Surgery?

Here at Great South Bay Surgical Associates, we specialize in several types of laparoscopic surgery. So, what does that mean? Commonly called minimally invasive or keyhole surgery, laparoscopy is type of surgical procedure where the surgeon is able to access the inside of the abdomen and pelvis through small incisions.

But, what if the surgical site is not directly in your belly? The beauty of a minimally invasive laparoscopy is that the surgeon will be able to feed small surgical instruments through the existing incision to reach the operational site. If you’re wondering how in the world surgeons are able to operate without being able to see the surgical site, the credit is due to a handy tool called a laparoscope. This is a small tube, equipped with a light source and camera, that’s weaved through the body displaying images of the patient’s insides on a television monitor for the surgeon to view. Amazing isn’t it?

Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of a laparoscopic procedure:

1. The patient receives a general anesthetic, which will allow them to sleep peacefully and painlessly through the procedure.

2. The surgeon makes small incisions around the patient’s belly button.

3. Carbon dioxide is pumped into the abdomen through the incision to allow for more room to work, and more visibility during the procedure. At this point, the laparoscope is inserted through the small tube as well.

4. The surgeon inserts the necessary instruments and carries out the operation.

5. After the procedure has been completed, the abdomen is relieved of excess gas and the small incisions are stitched up.

And there you have it! Just like that, the procedure is finished. The advantages of having a laparoscopic surgery include a shorter anticipated hospital stay, less postoperative pain and discomfort, minimal scarring and an expedited recovery time.

At Great South Bay Surgical Associates, we want our patients to be completely comfortable knowing that they are in only the best, most knowledgeable hands of leading surgeons in the field. Hernia repairs, appendectomies and gallbladder surgeries are some of the many laparoscopic procedures that our doctors specialize in. For more information or to schedule a consultation, click here to view our website or call 631-321-6801 today.

About Us!

Established in 1909 by founding partner Dr. Charles Murphy, Great South Bay Surgical Associates and  Vascular Lab has been serving the community with the tradition of caring and quality for over 100 years.  For generations we have provided high quality services using state of the art technologies in general and vascular surgeries, both open and minimally invasive.

Our practice is comprised of eight outstanding doctors that double as directors, department chairs of surgery and chairmen of the Surgical Peer Review Committee at Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center, presidents and fellows of the American College of Surgeons and other elite medical societies, and hold various additional positions as innovative leaders within their fields.

These surgeons specialize in a variety of general, vascular and colorectal surgical procedures such as:

• Hernia Surgery
• Gallbladder and Hepatobiliary Surgery
• Hemorrhoid Surgery
• Pelvic Floor Procedures
• Laser Varicose Vein Surgery
• Sclerotherapy Injection Treatments
• Carotid Artery Surgery
• And more!

We also specialize in surgical oncology, covering areas including:

• Breast Cancer (Lumpectomy and Breast Reconstruction)
• Gastrointestinal Cancer (Stomach, Small Bowel, Colon and Rectal)
• Melanoma and Skin Cancer
• Sarcomas (Tumors of the Muscle)

At Great South Bay Surgical Associates and Vascular Lab, we understand our patients’ necessity for knowledgeable, friendly doctors that provide convenient procedures with effective results.  Choose us for all of your surgical needs and rest assured that you’ll always be in good hands - the best in the field!

For more information about the services we offer visit us on the web or give us a call directly at 631-321-6801.  Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ to get up to date information and health tips!