BIRMINGHAM, AL — The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) will broadcast, in real time, an innovative type of colon surgery over the World Wide Web on May 18. The webcast is part of UAB’s continuing effort to familiarize doctors with the latest surgical techniques, and allows the public a live look at medical advances.

Martin J. Heslin, M.D., UAB associate professor and a specialist in gastrointestinal surgery, will perform the laparoscopic procedure, which involves a tumor by removing part of the colon. J. Pablo Arnoletti, M.D., UAB assistant professor, will be the moderator. The specific procedure is a right hemicolectomy on a patient with an ascending colon tubulovillous adenoma.

During the webcast, which is expected to last one hour, physicians and the public will be able to hear Heslin describe the procedure, and will be able to ask questions and view slides and diagrams. Viewers of the live webcast will have the same view the surgeon sees on the operating room monitors.

The procedure to be webcast is among the newest options for people needing colorectal surgery. Until recently, colorectal surgery required a large incision and an extended recovery period. Laparoscopy achieves the same results as traditional surgery, but patients recover faster and experience less pain, Heslin said. Laparoscopy is a minimally invasive technique that usually only requires very small incisions in the abdomen for the insertion of a tiny video camera and surgical instruments.