Global leaders in Transanal Endoscopic Microsurgery (TEM)

At St. Paul’s Hospital, the colorectal surgery team, led by Dr. Carl Brown, are global leaders when it comes to Transanal Endoscopic Microsurgery (TEM). This technique allows for the removal of premalignant lesions and some early rectal cancers without the need for an abdominal incision.

Last year, Dr. Brown and his team reported on their experience performing TEM: “In most centres around the world, surgeons perform TEM surgery and admit patients to hospital for at least one day, often longer,” Dr. Brown shares, “but over the past few years we have challenged that paradigm. Patients prefer to be at home, and with adequate support from our team, most patients can safely leave hospital on the day of surgery.”

Dr. Brown emphasized that a team approach to care was critical to achieving this success.

“At Providence, we have an Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) program, co-led by Drs. Ahmer Karimuddin and Jill Osborne, which aims to provide the best peri-operative care. Without the collaboration of the entire team, this work wouldn’t have been possible.”