Voice: (860) 423-5000
FAX: (860) 423-4838

Hours
9 a.m. - 5 p.m
Monday - Friday
Closed on Holidays

Surgeon Dr. Herbert Ridyard doing rounds at Windham Hospital in Willimantic, Connecticut

Surgeon Dr. Herbert Ridyard doing rounds at Windham Hospital in Willimantic, Connecticut

What we do...

Esophageal Surgery

Esophageal cancer is relatively rare, representing only about 4% of all cancer diagnosed in the United States each year. Esophageal surgery for cancer can be very extensive and require both radiation therapy and chemotherapy both before and sometimes after the surgery.

If esophageal cancer is caught early enough, it can be cured with surgery. Esophageal cancer is discovered by upper endoscopy or EGD and a biopsy.

Sometimes it is difficult to discover esophageal cancer because the symptoms are very vague. That is why it is important to have persistent heart burn, upper abdominal pain, or the sense of food getting stuck in the esophagus evaluated by your surgeon.

Persistent heart burn or GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) infrequently needs surgery. Usually with dietary modifications, anti-acid medications ("PPI" or proton pump inhibitors) and avoidance of cigarette smoking the symptoms of GERD can be controlled. For the infrequent patient who has very bad heart burn and reflux (the sense of lunch coming back up the esophagus) despite medical therapy, surgery can be very helpful. Dr. Kloss is a board certified surgeon highly skilled in this antireflux surgery. He was trained by Dr. Robert Hinder at the Creighton University in the laparoscopic technique for antireflux surgery.

This operation is done to reduce or prevent acid regurgitating into the esophagus.

Other surgeries on the esophagus that are infrequently necessary are:

Repair of a large hiatal hernia.
Dilating or removing a narrowing or "stricture" of the esophagus.
Injection of special medicine in a bleeding spot in the esophagus.

The surgeons in Windham Surgical Group are all highly skilled in the surgery of the esophagus and in particular, Dr. Kloss has much experience in the laparoscopic or minimally invasive surgery of the hiatal hernia.

Esophageal stricture (a narrowing of the esophagus) can trap food in the esophagus and need emergency surgery to remove it. This is usually performed through the upper endoscopy (EGD). Following removal of the food obstruction a special dilation can be done to stretch out the esophageal narrowing to prevent another occurrence of food getting stuck in the esophagus.

The surgeons at Windham Surgical Group are highly skilled in all of these areas and are happy to care for you and your family for a simple esophageal stricture or the more complicated esophageal tumor. If necessary, the surgeon will coordinates all the levels of care necessary with the oncologist and your medical doctor.

162 Mansfield Avenue Willimantic, Connecticut 06226

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