Newswise — Smaller incisions. Less pain. Fewer complications. Shorter hospitalizations. Quicker recovery. Earlier return to work. These are all benefits of a national trend toward minimally invasive surgical treatment of urological system disorders. Only large centers like Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with expertly-trained staff are able to offer this vastly improved approach to treating stones, tumors and other diseases of the kidney, bladder and prostate.
"Our practice is quite unique and marked by innovative techniques and technologies," explains endourologist Christopher S. Ng, M.D., about his work with Cedars-Sinai's Endourology Institute. "Laparoscopic urology is indeed state-of-the-art and one of the most high tech fields in medicine. The challenge lies in continually developing better techniques, more miniature instruments and further progress in robotic applications to surgery."
Formerly with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation's Glickman Urological Institute, Dr. Ng joined the Endourology Institute late last year eager to work with its director, Gerhard J. Fuchs, M.D., an internationally renowned surgeon and researcher specializing in treatment of urological disorders, including advanced endoscopic and laparoscopic procedures.
"The opportunity to work with Dr. Fuchs made it an easy decision to join Cedars-Sinai and move west," says the Oregon native, whose fellowship training in Cleveland focused on laparoscopic and endoscopic urologic surgery and stone disease.
Patients with more complex urological cases are referred to the Endourology Institute by their primary care physician or, more commonly, another urologist, usually for laparoscopic treatment of tumors of the kidney, adrenal gland, or prostate, and for management of complex urological conditions with minimally invasive endoscopic surgical techniques.
"Most patients who are candidates for laparoscopic surgery are likely to be cured, with less discomfort and minimal change in lifestyle," he says. "Patients typically return to health very quickly, and that's the fun part."
The Institute also treats complex urinary tract stones, tumors, and defects, and non-cancerous enlarged prostate glands with endoscopic surgery, incorporating special lasers when needed.
Dr. Ng is also a key participant, along with the Louis Warschaw Prostate Cancer Center, in Cedar-Sinai's program in robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy using the "da Vinci" Robotic System—the latest and most advanced surgical robot. This state-of-the-art procedure allows surgeons to remove the cancerous prostate via laparoscopic techniques rather than traditional open surgery, with the added dexterity of the robot. This saves the patient recovery time, with less pain and reduced risk of potential complications.
According to Dr. Fuchs, Dr. Ng's work within the Institute also involves research, including a current study on innovative methods of "laparoscopic partial nephrectomy" —removing only part of the kidney, instead of the whole kidney, to treat small kidney cancers. "Preserving as much of the normal kidney as possible may prevent future dialysis in these patients," he says.
"Such clinical and laboratory research is crucial to achieving our goal to 'Set the Standard' rather than just practice it," explains Dr. Ng, who devotes about 20 percent of his time to research.
During undergraduate studies at the University of California, Riverside, Dr. Ng decided on a medical career. "I didn't have a family role model—I just developed an interest in college," he adds. "In medical school, I decided on urology, and during my residency, laparoscopic surgery."
He went on to earn his medical degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine, and to complete a urology residency and fellowship in laparoscopic urologic surgery and endourology/stone disease at the Cleveland Clinic.
He has received a number of awards and honors, including the George and Grace Crile Traveling Fellowship Award for meritorious performance in surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. He has presented his work at many national and international symposia. Dr. Ng has also published extensively in scientific journals and provided content for textbooks on urology.
Medicine does seem to run in the family now. Dr. Ng's wife is also a physician—Deborah R. Liu, M.D., attending physician in pediatric emergency medicine at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. The couple has a daughter, Sarah, who " he says with a smile " gives shots and bandages to her stuffed yellow bunny. They enjoy family outings to the park and beach as well as cooking together. When he can squeeze time into his busy schedule, Dr. Ng looks forward to taking up tennis and golf again.
Cedars-Sinai is one of the largest nonprofit academic medical centers in the Western United States. For the fifth straight two-year period, it has been named Southern California's gold standard in health care in an independent survey. Cedars-Sinai is internationally renowned for its diagnostic and treatment capabilities and its broad spectrum of programs and services, as well as breakthroughs in biomedical research and superlative medical education. It ranks among the top 10 non-university hospitals in the nation for its research activities.
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