Columbia Surgical Associates

Dr. Erik M. Grossmann is the newest member of Columbia Surgical Associates. Born and raised in St. Louis, he attended MU as an undergraduate and went on to graduate cum laude from the University of Missouri School of Medicine in 1996. His General Surgery residency was at St. Louis University Hospital during which time he spent one year as a Post-Graduate Research Fellow at the Theodore Cooper Surgical Research Institute. He then continued his training in Colon and Rectal Surgery with a fellowship in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Since completing his formal training, Dr. Grossmann has been an Assistant Professor of Surgery at St. Louis University. He has been responsible for the training of surgical residents as the Program Director for SLU’s general surgery residency program. In addition to his teaching duties, he has developed a successful clinical practice with an interest in laparoscopic surgery, gastrointestinal malignancies, anorectal disease and complex abdominal hernias. His emphasis is on the use of technology to minimize the discomfort traditionally associated with abdominal and anal surgery.

Erik is married to a Columbia native and fellow MU grad, Karen Camille Grossmann. They have two children, Mary Kate and Christopher. They are excited to return to Columbia and look forward to becoming active members of our community.

The addition of Columbia’s second board certified colon and rectal surgeon has allowed Columbia Surgical Associates to offer a wider range of services while continuing to provide the most timely care possible. We will be happy to provide office consultation for any new patient with a colorectal surgery concern within 24 hours if the referring physician wishes. All that is required is a phone call to our office (573) 443-8773 or to Dr. Walter Peters or Dr. Erik Grossman through the Boone Hospital switchboard (573) 815-8000.

The sixth annual Surgical Symposium, co-sponsored by Columbia Surgical Associates and Boone Hospital Center, will be held November 18, 2006. A broad range of topics will be discussed ranging from thyroid diseases to common anorectal complaints. Vascular topics will include endovascular laser therapy for varicose veins. Pancreatic cancer will be discussed in depth with a focus on radiographic and endoscopic evaluation, surgical evaluation and treatment, and current oncologic approaches.

Faculty will include CSA surgeons as well as Drs. Brian Johnson, Joe Muscato, Charles Swaney, and Steve Welsh. Dr. Hugh Harris will moderate.

The Symposium is unique in presenting surgical topics with an emphasis on primary care providers. Registration materials will be sent separately. For further information, visit our Symposium page.

Dr. John Adams presented a review of the Columbia Surgical Associates experience with endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms (EVAR) at the annual meeting of the Missouri Chapter of the American College of Surgeons. EVAR utilizes grafts introduced percutaneously through both groins to exclude blood flow from the aneurysm sac. For many patients, it is an alternative to the traditional aneurysmorraphy that required a very large abdominal incision and required a 5 to 7 day post-operative hospital stay.

Between 1999 and early 2006, 223 patients underwent elective EVAR at Boone Hospital Center by a CSA surgeon. Procedures required only 91 minutes on average. The average hospital stay post procedure was just 1.6 days. Only three patients required conversion to an open operation and no patient died in the early postoperative period. This is the largest experience with EVAR in mid-Missouri.

CSA offers free ultrasound screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm for patients over 50 with one of the following: family history of AAA, history of tobacco use, peripheral vascular disease, hypertension, or diabetes mellitus.