Our colorectal surgery practice was started by Dr. Steven Stryker when he returned to Chicago after completing fellowship at the Mayo Clinic. He was one of the first in Chicago to promote neoadjuvant chemoradiation for rectal cancer and to perform coloanal anastomosis in order to prevent the need for a permanent colostomy in the treatment of rectal cancer, and he was the first surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital to perform a laparoscopic appendectomy. This pioneering spirit continues to thrive at Northwestern Surgical Associates, and we approach the patient with colorectal disease with an eye to minimizing surgical trauma and maximizing functional and/or oncologic outcome.
