We have updated our Birchmount Hospital phone lines. When you call through the main line (416-495-2400), you will need to add “7” when dialing an extension.

Surgery

Providing excellence and leading expertise in surgical care

Surgeons performing operation
General Information

Surgery at Scarborough Health Network

Scarborough Health Network (SHN) offers a wide range of surgical specialties with a focus on patient care and safety. We provide easy access to quality surgical care for patients throughout Scarborough and beyond.

Our surgical services include major procedures that may require patients to stay in hospital. We have inpatient care units to supports patients in their recovery after their surgery. We also have several surgical clinics where we are able to perform minor outpatient procedures and services. Patients are seen, assessed, treated and discharged home the same day.

Our Services

Our Services

Dental and Maxillo-facial Surgery at Scarborough Health Network (SHN) is designed to treat patients with problems relating to the mouth, teeth and facial regions, including corrective jaw surgery, wisdom tooth removal, TMJ disorder, facial trauma, oral pathology and reconstruction.

Paediatric Dentistry at SHN is designed to meet the dental care of children from infancy through adolescence. These children or teens may have emotional, physical or behavioural problems that do not allow dental treatment to be performed safely in a regular dental office setting.

What We Offer

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

  • Orthognathic surgery (Corrective jaw surgery)
  • Maxillofacial trauma
  • Dental extractions and wisdom teeth removal
  • Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ) surgery
  • Removal of cyst, tumor, or other oral pathology
  • Jaw/bone grafting or reconstruction
  • Paediatric Dentistry
  • Restorative dentistry and extraction under general anesthesia

Referral Information

Any patient with a dental concern may be referred to one of our surgeons/paediatric dentists by their family physician or dentist to determine their eligibility for hospital-based treatment.

Please be reminded that typical dental treatment is not covered by OHIP and for patients with severe medical conditions, mandatory approval from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care is required before any dental treatment can take place.

Corrective jaw surgery, reconstructive surgery, cyst removal, TMJ surgery, trauma, bone grafting and other non-dental related issues are OHIP-insured services.

Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (OHNS) is a surgical specialty more commonly known in the past as Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT). The specialty of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery encompasses head and neck cancer surgery, facial cosmetic surgery, rhinology and sinus surgery, otology, laryngology, and paediatrics.

At Scarborough Health Network (SHN), our Otolaryngologists treat children and adults, both medically and surgically, for disorders of the outer, middle and inner ear, oral cavity, nose and paranasal sinuses and larynx. In particular, the SHN Otolaryngologists have special expertise in the surgical management of benign and malignant tumors of the thyroid, parathyroid, and salivary glands and neck.

What We Offer

In addition to providing 24/7 service and availability to all three of SHN’s Emergency departments, we offer outpatient office and clinic-based care in the following areas:

  1. Disorders of hearing and balance
  2. Nasal and paranasal sinus conditions
  3. Voice disorders
  4. Upper aerodigestive tract disorders
  5. Benign and malignant tumors of the head and neck
  6. Facial plastic and reconstructive surgery
  7. Benign and malignant thyroid lesions
  8. Paediatric conditions, such as ear infections (otitis media), and enlarged/infected tonsils and adenoids
  9. Surgical management of sleep apnea

Eligibility

Any patient with an otolaryngologic issue or concern may be referred to a SHN Otolaryngologist by their family doctor, walk-in clinic physician, emergency physician, or any surgical or medical specialist with a MD degree. If an urgent referral is required for an outpatient appointment, the referring physician can contact any of the SHN Otolaryngologists by calling their respective offices.  If it is an urgent referral from the Emergency department or for an inpatient, the referring physician can contact the on-call Otolaryngologist directly through SHN’s Locating service.

Thyroid Rapid Diagnostic Unit

Through our Dr. Arnott Thyroid Rapid Diagnostic Unit (TRDU), Scarborough Health Network (SHN) offers expedited access to the thyroid surgical program. Our dedicated TRDU nurse navigator will prioritize referrals sent to this specialized unit and arrange for a timely consultation with one of our highly skilled thyroid surgeons.

Scarborough Health Network (SHN) offers a full range of upper gastrointestinal (GI) and colorectal produces. At SHN, a group of dedicated and skilled Gastroenterologists work across three campuses (Centenary, General and Birchmount) to provide a full spectrum of GI services.

Through a number of leading inpatient and outpatient services and endoscopic procedures, SHN provides innovative and refined endoscopy services, that provide advanced diagnostic and therapeutic intervention for gastrointestinal bleeding, pancreatico-biliary diseases, colorectal cancer screening and prevention, along with palliative endoluminal stenting for malignant disease. In addition, we also perform endoscopy ultrasound and enteroscopy.

What We Offer

Diagnostic and Screening Procedures:

  • Colonoscopy
  • Gastroscopy
  • Small Bowel Enteroscopy
  • Flexible Sigmoidoscopy

Upper G.I. Therapeutic Procedures:

  • Cryosurgery on internal hemorrhoids
  • Lateral internal sphincterotomy
  • Anoplasty
  • Fistulotomy
  • Excision of para-anal lesions
  • Pilonidal Cystectomy
  • Treatment of Condyloma Accuminata
  • Biopsy and excision of upper G.I. lesions where indicated
  • Esophageal manometry and esophageal dilation for Dysphagia (Motility Clinic)

FIT Positive Colonoscopy Service

Through our FIT Positive Colonoscopy Service, Scarborough Health Network (SHN) aims to provide rapid colon cancer care to our community, as conveniently as possible. It has been established to provide seamless care for those who have tested positive from the Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT), who may be at an average risk of developing colorectal cancer.

Contact Us

We strive to provide excellent endoscopic services and complete follow-up care for our patients. We welcome referrals from family physicians and specialists.

For questions or more information, please call our clinic coordinator at 416-495-2552.

Our Gynecology services at Scarborough Health Network (SHN) are designed to meet the health care needs of women through all stages of life from the paediatric age group through menopause.

Our program provides both expert office-based consultation as well as hospital-based care depending on the clinical situation. We provide advanced laparoscopic minimally invasive surgery and many procedures are performed as day surgery. Our colposcopy unit provides outpatient surgical procedures, as well as comprehensive investigation of abnormal pap smear tests.

SHN has a dedicated group of gynecology specialist physicians who provide compassionate culturally-sensitive care within our community. Our department has members who speak a variety of languages to enhance the comprehensive care provided. We look forward to having the opportunity to provide high quality care to women in Scarborough.

What We Offer

  • Early pregnancy care
  • Colposcopy (abnormal pap smears)
  • Inpatient and outpatient gynecologic surgery, including advanced laparoscopic surgery
  • 24 hour emergency coverage through the Emergency Department
  • Office-based consultation for a wide range of gynecologic conditions

Ocean eReferrals for colposcopy

We are now accepting Ocean eReferrals! For additional information, please email your Ontario Health East Deployment Team at contact@ereferralontarioeast.ca

Registering for Ocean

SHN, the Scarborough Ontario Health Team (SOHT), and Scarborough Family Physicians Network (SFPN) are working together to support healthcare providers in our community who may be interested in onboarding onto Ocean. Get started by completing the Ontario Health East online form.

The general surgeons at Scarborough Health Network (SHN) provide a wide range of vital services across our three hospitals to offer high-quality care for all patients in our community.

While the general surgeons at SHN support all departments, a major focus of this sub-specialty is on cancer care. Our surgical team takes immense pride in providing personalized and timely care for all types of cancer.

What We Offer

  • Breast cancer – We provide surgical treatment for breast cancer. We work closely with our oncologists for integrated breast cancer care, and with our hospital’s plastic surgeons to provide options of immediate breast reconstruction for maximizing cosmetic outcomes. The general surgeons also provide prevention and detection services for average and high risk women (mammography).
  • Colon and stomach cancer – We remove cancers of the abdomen, including colorectal and stomach cancer, by surgical excision, and perform leading-edge laparoscopic and regular open surgeries. Colonoscopy for screening and prevention of colon cancer is one of our strengths.
  • Thyroid cancer – We provide excision of thyroid cancers.

In addition to cancer care, our General Surgery team supports a variety of surgical areas, including:

  • Simple and complex hernias in many sites of the body, providing both laparoscopic and open surgery for hernia repair
  • Gallstones
  • Benign breast disease
  • Hemorrhoids, fissures, abscesses, fistulas and other colorectal issues
  • Gastrointestinal emergencies, including 24/7 coverage of both Emergency Departments for patients with appendicitis, bowel perforations and obstructions

Our Plastic Surgeons at Scarborough Health Network (SHN) have been dedicated to serving the unique needs of our community since 1956.

They frequently provide support to the Emergency Department for treatment of many types of trauma including injuries that may have occurred in the home, in motor vehicle accidents and on the job. Team members are experts in providing 24/7 care to emergency patients, as well as elective patients.

The post-mastectomy breast reconstruction program utilizes the very latest in microsurgical techniques to ensure excellent results. A strong collaboration between the plastic surgery staff and other medical and surgical specialties ensures the best possible care for our patients.

The newly renovated Wound Clinic allows the plastic surgery staff to closely monitor difficult wound healing problems in close cooperation with Home Care Services.

The team also provides elective surgery to treat a wide variety of conditions, and is able to arrange for day surgery with an overnight stay for monitoring. In addition, either local or general anesthetic can be arranged depending on the needs of the patient. We have Plastics Clinics at our three hospitals, which provide care for urgent referrals, as well as follow-up management for acute and chronic conditions.

What We Offer

  • Elective treatment of hand problems, including carpal tunnel compression, ganglion cysts, Dupuytrens contracture and tendon and bone abnormalities
  • Surgery of the breast, including breast reduction and breast reconstruction following a mastectomy
  • Surgical management following massive weight loss
  • Management of wound healing problems, such as diabetic ulcers, infections and skin ulcers caused by poor circulation
  • Treatment of burns both immediately following an injury and/or at a later time to manage scarring and functional problems
  • Supporting the hospital’s Emergency Department by providing care for serious lacerations, domestic injuries, work related trauma, motor vehicle accidents, sports injuries, infections, facial fractures and many other types of trauma
  • Treating skin cancers and suspicious lesions by obtaining a biopsy diagnosis and planning effective management
  • Removing troublesome benign skin lesions, which can affect quality of life and which may progress if not properly treated

Our Surgical Oncology service ensures timely access to safe, high-quality care. It does this by continually improving the quality and accessibility of cancer surgery across Scarborough. The program also engages surgeons in planning and quality improvement initiatives.

Through our urology services, Scarborough Health Network (SHN) aims to provide the highest quality patient care in a compassionate, safe and patient-centered manner. The urologic surgeons provide expert care and support to patients throughout each step of the process, from diagnosing urologic disorders to providing treatment and performing surgical procedures. They are experienced, professional and specialize in advanced surgical therapies and minimally invasive procedures to treat all specialties of male and female urology.

What We Offer

  • Genitourinary cancers (bladder, prostate, kidney, penis and testicular cancer)
  • Kidney stones
  • Prostate-related diseases (benign prostate hypertrophy)
  • Female urology
  • Voding dysfunction and incontinence
  • Erectile dysfunction
  • Neuro-urology
  • Reconstructive urology

At Scarborough Health Network (SHN), we are dedicated to providing treatment of vascular disorders.

SHN Nephrology Program has dedicated Dialysis Vascular Access Team. Patients who require assessment, care, education, maintenance, creation, or counselling regarding dialysis vascular access i.e. Fistula, Graft, Central Venous Catheter (CVC) are referred to the Dialysis Vascular Access Team.

  • The team is composed of a Nephrology Vascular Access Coordinator, Administrative Assistant, Vascular Access Registered Nurses, and Vascular Access Registered Practical Nurses who work collaboratively with the Interdisciplinary team (Vascular Surgeons, Same Day Surgery staff, Interventional Radiologists and Interventional Radiology staff, Ambulatory Patient Unit Staff and Vascular Ultrasound Department Staff). They also work collaboratively with the various team members within the Nephrology Program.
  • Recognizing the ongoing growth of hemodialysis patients and the necessity to ensure patients’ “life lines” (vascular accesses) are well maintained, functional, created in a timely manner, and are chosen by the patient (where suitable and appropriate) to be either fistulas or grafts vs. central venous catheters (CVCs).

Our Vascular Access Program services include:

  1. There are 3 Vascular Access Clinics per week, virtual or in person where patients are seen in collaboration with the vascular nurse and the Vascular Surgeon (as per ORN guidelines).  The VA clinic referrals received from Nephrologist’s office, MCKC, Home Dialysis (PD and Home Hemo), all Satellites, Hemodialysis and DMC.  The Initial referrals are triaged and patients are called accordingly by VA team for access education, reinforce vein preservation and booking for vein mapping and VA Clinic. Patients who are suitable for dialysis access creation are managed in partnership with Surgery or Interventional Radiology.  Post access creation, patients have routine surveillance and monitoring with access assessment by the vascular access team. Vascular access clinics also manage patients with existing dialysis accesses. Service may include; reassessment of malfunctioning dialysis access, infection, thrombosed accesses or other issues. The vascular clinic, in its assessment of patients also redirect identified patients who would benefit, are interested, and are suitable for referral (or re-referral) for home dialysis.
  2. In addition to coordinating dialysis vascular access creation and interventions in IR or Surgery within the clinic, the dialysis vascular access team also facilitates urgent dialysis access interventions that are identified by all hemodialysis services throughout the program including hemodialysis satellites, ICU, ER, and in-patient units. Note: Access to IR and Surgical spots are facilitated by the vascular team but also by the dedicated vascular access unit clerk who works with the respective booking clerk in each service areas by coordinating dedicated spots for dialysis vascular access within each of the respective services.
  3. VA team provides patients and families with comprehensive Vascular Access Education and counselling regarding hemodialysis accesses choices, benefits and disadvantages and follow-up care in VA Clinic. The team supports patients and families with Shared Care Module. Patients wishing or expressing interest in learning Shared Care self-cannulation or involvement in vascular care and management are supported and trained by VA team.
  4. The VA team also provides support for the front line and acts as a resource to patients and staff with the Best Practice Standards and Guidelines related to vascular access care. With the chronic, repetitive nature of hemodialysis, nurses often become lax in their vascular practice and require constant refreshing of skill sets related to infection control practices, troubleshooting, and surveillance of vascular accesses which impacts patient care and potentially increases patients’ morbidity and mortality. The Ontario Health mandates Vascular Access Educational Modules to be completed by all nurses throughout the program who care for hemodialysis patients (both home and in-centre).  Any identified gaps in practice needs to be resolved to ensure adherence to expected standards of practice related to hemodialysis vascular access.

All activities provided by the vascular team, support mandates related to vascular access care, maintenance, creation, and outcomes by the Ontario Health (Ontario Renal Network).  Vascular metrics and indicators are reported and benchmarked provincially.

Contact Us

General hospital
East Wing, 1st Floor
416-438-2911 ext. 6622 / 6623 or 8376
Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

SHN’s outpatient rehabilitation at our Centenary and General hospital includes physiotherapy and occupational therapy for patients who have been discharged but require follow-up care, as well as patients who have been referred by their physician.

Services

  • Audiology and Speech Language Pathology (SLP)
  • Neurorehab (Stroke)
  • Hand program
  • Musculoskeletal program for hip and knee replacements, amputations, complex fractures
  • Pre-operative education for patients having a hip or knee replacement procedure

Contact Us

Centralized Patient Scheduling

For appointment inquiries, please contact us through our Centralized Patient Scheduling line.

Phone: 416-431-8167

General Inquiries

Centenary Hospital

Our Outpatient Rehabilitation space is located on the 1st floor of the Margaret Birch Wing at Centenary. It includes a gym, and separate assessment and therapy rooms.

Phone: 416-281-7266
Fax: 416-281-7224

General Hospital

Our Occupational Therapy program, including the Hand Clinic, is located on the 1st floor of the Crockford Wing at General.

Phone: 416-431-8118 ext. 4
Fax: 416-431-8180

Education

Surgical Education

SHN is committed to partnering with patients and family members throughout their surgical journey for a safe and quality patient experience. Our education materials will answer many of your questions and help you be actively involved in your care.

Patient and Family Guide: Surgical Journey

Set yourself up for a successful surgical journey by knowing the steps, what to expect, how to prepare yourself, and what things you can do throughout your journey.

Surgical Education