Liver, Pancreas and Biliary Surgery

At Atrium Health, our skilled surgeons are committed to delivering exceptional care to treat diseases of the liver, pancreas, bile duct and gallbladder. This area of medicine is called Hepato-pancreato-biliary (or HPB) surgery.

• Hepato means liver
• Pancreato relates to the pancreas
• The biliary system includes the gallbladder and bile ducts (thin tubes that go from the liver to the small intestine)

As one of the largest HPB programs in the country, we use the latest surgical techniques and technologies to help you get the best possible results. Because these are often highly complicated cases affecting multiple organs, our team, specializing in HPB surgery, works hand-in-hand with experts in other medical specialties, including oncologists, gastroenterologists, therapeutic endoscopists, interventional radiologists, and hepatologists. This allows us to provide you with specialized and complete care.

Complete HPB surgical care

Our HPB surgery program offers a wide range of treatment options, and we tailor care plans to your individual needs.

HPB surgery and treatments may include:

• Ablation therapies that use heat usually delivered through a small tube to destroy tumors
• Resections that are performed to cut out or remove diseased or damaged areas of the affected organ or organs. While these operations are often done through open surgery, we specialize in using minimally invasive approaches either using a robot or laparoscopically. Unlike open procedures, these techniques usually involve tiny video cameras and several small incisions. Some types of resections include:
  • Whipple procedure to take out part of the pancreas, gallbladder and intestine
  • Hepatectomies to remove a portion of the liver
  • Distal pancreatectomies to remove the bottom or tail of the pancreas
• Irreversible electroporation (IRE) that uses pulses of electricity to poke holes in tumor cells in the pancreas and sometimes the liver to destroy the tumor

Patient care

Why choose us for HPB surgery care?

When we're providing HPB surgery or treatments, we work with you to ensure you receive the highest quality care available. Together, we'll determine a personalized treatment plan based on your needs, including HPB surgery if necessary. Our referral coordinators will help you schedule an appointment with the appropriate surgeon. We offer:

• Experience. We’re one of the most experienced HPB teams, performing more HPB surgeries than most other centers in the nation and seeing more than 3,000 patients each year.
• Expertise. As leaders in the field, our surgeons are nationally and internationally regarded and sought after to teach HPB procedures to surgeons at other health systems.
• Care you can trust. We’re part of Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center, ranked a Best Regional Hospital by U.S. News & World Report. And we work closely with Atrium Health Levine Cancer, the only cancer center in the region to be nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
• Enhanced Surgical Care. As one the Southeast’s only Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS®) Center of Excellence, we offer an unmatched level of surgical care in the region. Following ERAS practices, which are proven to lead to shorter recovery times and reduced hospital readmission rates, we educate, support and empower patients before, during and after surgery.
• Innovation. Depending on your specific needs, our surgeons can use traditional open surgery, as well as progressive cutting-edge technologies to destroy cancers and minimally invasive laparoscopic and robot-assisted procedures that result in less pain, fewer infections and a faster recovery overall.
• Research. We oversee and take part in research aimed at developing new procedures and innovative technologies – including studies that have and continue to move the field forward. Our clinical trials unit provides you access to some of the newest, most innovative treatments available for HPB-related conditions.
• Convenience. With locations in Charlotte and Concord, NC, you don’t have to travel far to receive our care. We also offer virtual and in-person consultations and follow-up appointments.