Why Choose Us?
This Is All We Do
At The Columbia Hernia Center, hernias are our specialty. You’ll find our white coats don’t have “General Surgery” or “Bariatric Surgery” imprinted onto them, but instead we are distinguished by being the first Division of Abdominal Wall Surgery in the world, and proudly show it off. As such, our research, education, and clinical interests all lie within the field of abdominal wall and hernia surgery. Which is wide in scope and encompasses not only abdominal wall and groin hernias, but also mesh complications, flank and back hernias, chronic pain, sports hernias and sports injuries of the groin and abdominal wall, and much more. Because of this, our outcomes are superior, and our patients are able to get access to the best care around.
The Columbia Hernia Center is a high-volume referral center specializing in complex abdominal wall reconstruction. We routinely treat patients with recurrent hernias, prior failed repairs, infected or explanted mesh, loss-of-domain hernias, and other high-risk abdominal wall conditions that require advanced surgical planning and multidisciplinary care.
The Columbia Hernia Center is led by Yuri Novitsky, MD, an internationally recognized surgeon and educator in abdominal wall reconstruction. Under his leadership, the center serves as a hub for advanced hernia care, surgeon training, and academic collaboration.
Comprehensive Care
All of our experts are wholly dedicated to the care of hernia patients. As such, we ensure that our patients get the most expert care around. Whereas other surgeons may perform hernia repair a small portion of their practice, you’ll see each of our practitioners as absolute experts in the field of hernia surgery. Because of this we can offer advanced hernia repair techniques not offered anywhere else with outcomes that are superior to any nearby center. At the Columbia Hernia Center, we also collaborate with physicians specializing in rehab medicine, physical therapy, sports medicine, interventional radiology, clinical nutrition, and orthopedic surgery. Because these specialties are all a part of the Hernia Center, you are always seen by physicians who are all familiar with the hernia repair and recovery process. When we fix hernias, we strive to do it with the most advanced and minimally invasive techniques available, to get you back to living your life to the fullest. When you are worried about getting your hernia fixed, do it right, the first time.
Pioneering Treatments
Abdominal wall and groin hernia repair techniques have undergone major advances in recent years, leading to smoother recovery, a reduction in recurrence rates, and a decrease in pain. One such technique was pioneered by one of our experts, Dr. Yuri Novitsky: The transversus abdominis release. This allows for the reconstruction of the abdominal wall in order to fix massive hernias which were once thought unfixable. This technique has even been extended to be performed robotically, which allows for patients undergoing major abdominal wall reconstruction to even leave the hospital after a day or so.
Groundbreaking Research
Because of the complexity of our patient population, outcomes must be interpreted in context. Our results are reported in peer-reviewed literature and compare favorably with published benchmarks, despite a higher-risk case mix than national averages. The Columbia Hernia Center actively contributes to clinical research, surgical education, and the development of best practices in abdominal wall reconstruction.
Our experts focus on providing the most up-to-date care possible, and research is always ongoing in our center to improve outcomes for our patients. With the assistance of world class statisticians and investigators, we can analyze data for hernia repairs to determine the best approach to hernia care. This work is presented at major conferences including The Society for American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), The American College of Surgeons (ACS), The Americas Hernia Society (AHS), and The European Hernia Society (EHS).
Availability and Convenience
Hernias can be painful, may compromise lifestyle, and in some cases can be dangerous if left untreated. Our center is always available to patients for consultation, surgical treatment, follow-up, or just for questions. We can typically provide appointments within a week and one of our surgeons is always on call for emergency situations. In some cases can even offer telemedicine visits for first time consults. We have offices conveniently located throughout Manhattan, at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Columbia’s Midtown offices. For those patients from New Jersey, we also have offices in Teaneck, NJ as well as several surgical sites.