Crohns Disease Treatment & Surgery in Broward, Palm Beach, and Miami-Dade
As a Board-Certified General Surgeon and fellowship-trained Colorectal Surgeon, Dr. Astha Bhatt, MD, provides personalized, compassionate surgical care for patients living with Crohn’s disease, inflammatory bowel complications, painful strictures, and intestinal blockages. She offers advanced robotic, laparoscopic, and tissue-preserving Crohns disease treatment & surgery for patients throughout Broward County, Miami-Dade County, Palm Beach County, and the broader South Florida region. Dr. Bhatt provides:
Crohns Disease Care & Surgery — Book Appointment
Same-week appointments may be available. Complete the form or call our South Florida office at (954) 388-0860
UNDERSTANDING CROHN'S DISEASE & TREATMENT
When medications, or dietary adjustments no longer control your inflammatory bowel disease, an evaluation with an experienced inflammatory bowel disease specialist in Broward County is the critical next step. Most patients with Crohn’s disease are treated medically, often in partnership with a gastroenterologist. Led by Dr. Astha Bhatt, MD, our practice delivers physician-led care focused on relieving chronic pain, opening narrowed intestinal passages, and restoring your daily quality of life. The primary objective of Crohn’s disease surgery is to eliminate active complications—such as chronic blockages, deep ulcerations, internal fistulas, or diseased segments—while preserving as much healthy intestine as possible. During your consultation, Dr. Bhatt carefully evaluates the following key clinical factors:
✓
Disease Location & Extent: Determining whether inflammation is concentrated in the terminal ileum (ileocecal), small intestine, or colon dictates the exact bowel-sparing approach.
✓
Strictures, Fistulas & Pathology: Comprehensive review of CT/MR enterography, colonoscopy reports, and biopsies helps our Crohn’s disease doctor identify narrowings, abscesses, or precancerous tissue changes.
✓
Dysplasia, Cancer: Surgery may be necessary when precancerous changes, cancer, severe bleeding, perforation, or another high-risk complication is identified.
✓
Fistula, Abscess or Infection: Crohn’s disease can create abnormal connections between the intestine and nearby organs, skin, or other bowel loops. Abscesses often require antibiotics and image-guided drainage before elective surgery is considered.
For specialized Crohn’s disease treatment in South Florida, Dr. Bhatt prioritizes bowel preservation and surgical precision, utilizing minimally invasive and robotic techniques to help patients return quickly to their everyday routines across Broward County and neighboring South Florida communities.
Crohns Disease Care & Surgery — Book Appointment
Same-week appointments may be available. Complete the form or call our South Florida office at (954) 388-0860
Depending on the location and behavior of your inflammation, Dr. Bhatt performs specialized procedures using advanced minimally invasive techniques and the da Vinci® Xi Robotic System. As a dedicated Crohn’s disease surgeon near me, Dr. Bhatt determines the surgical approach based on where Crohn’s disease is located, the length and number of strictures, whether fistulas or abscesses are present, previous operations, nutritional status, current medications, and the condition of the remaining intestine.
A bowel resection removes a portion of small or large intestine that has been significantly damaged by Crohn’s disease.This Crohn’s disease surgery Dr. Bhatt removes part of your small or large intestine. Dr. Bhatt might recommend bowel resection if you have a lot of scar tissue in your intestines, or if they find cancerous or precancerous cells.
Best For: Long strictures, terminal ileitis, failed medical therapies, or deep intestinal ulcerations.
Dr. Bhatt use this procedure to open up narrowed (strictured) areas caused by scar tissue, and this surgery makes the narrowing wider so poop can pass easily again. Rather than removing the narrowed section, the surgeon opens and reconstructs the intestine so that the passage becomes wider.
Best For: Multiple short strictures in the small intestine (jejunum or ileum) where total bowel length must be preserved.
A proctocolectomy removes the colon and rectum and may be considered in selected patients. Dr. Bhatt, in complex cases where Crohn’s colitis severely affects the large bowel with non-healing ulcers, toxic dilation, or dysplasia, removing the diseased colon eliminates the primary source of inflammation. When the rectum is also involved, a proctocolectomy is performed.
Best For: Extensive Crohn’s colitis, toxic megacolon, or precancerous cellular changes not manageable by medications alone.
Dr. Bhatt in this surgery creates an opening (stoma) in your belly. It makes a new pathway that allows waste (poop) to exit your body through the stoma instead of through your anus. Ostomies are frequently temporary to divert waste away from a newly connected or inflamed bowel segment, allowing it time to heal safely.
Best For: Bowel rest after complex intestinal repairs, emergency perforations, severe perianal disease, or proctocolectomy procedures.
Surgical Precision Note: Dr. Bhatt takes meticulous care during every intestinal reconstruction to ensure a well-perfused, tension-free connection. This careful attention minimizes the risk of an anastomotic leak, supporting faster recovery and reliable surgical safety.
Patients seeking crohns disease treatment near me in Broward County deserve clear clinical explanations, highly individualized planning, and direct communication with their physician. Backed by hundreds of verified patient reviews across Google, Healthgrades, and WebMD, Dr. Bhatt (Board Certified General Surgeon & Fellowship Trained in Advanced Colon and Rectal Surgery) is a trusted local choice for advanced inflammatory bowel disease treatment in South Florida.
CROHN’S DISEASE PATIENT GUIDE
Learn what to expect when medications are no longer enough, how bowel-sparing surgery is planned, and when robotic, laparoscopic, or strictureplasty procedures may be considered—directly from Dr. Astha Bhatt, MD,a Board-Certified General Surgeon and Fellowship-Trained Colorectal Surgeon with expertise in crohns disease treatment in South Florida.
Educational video about Crohn’s disease complications, surgical planning, bowel-preserving procedures, intestinal resection, ostomy planning, and recovery expectations.
In this patient education video, Dr. Bhatt discusses important questions patients commonly have when surgery is being considered:
If you have been diagnosed with a bowel stricture, recurrent obstruction, fistula, abscess, Crohn’s colitis, or another complication, Dr. Bhatt can review your records and help determine whether surgical evaluation is appropriate.
Meet Dr. Astha Bhatt, MD
CROHN’S DISEASE SURGERY SPECIALIST
For those seeking highly coordinated crohn’s disease treatment in Fort Lauderdale and across Broward County, Dr. Astha Bhatt, MD, provides a rare combination of rigorous academic training, extensive operative experience, and empathetic, patient-centered care. As a board-certified general surgeon and fellowship-trained robotic specialist, Dr. Bhatt is committed to delivering state-of-the-art inflammatory bowel disease treatment tailored to the unique health goals of each patient.
Dr. Bhatt personally reviews each patient’s medical history, imaging, endoscopy findings, previous operations, current treatment, and surgical concerns. When appropriate, she coordinates care with gastroenterologists, radiologists, interventional radiologists, nutrition specialists, pathologists, and other physicians.
Board-Certified Surgeon
Certified by the American Board of Surgery. Offers advanced robotic and tissue-preserving intestinal procedures.
Fellowship-Trained in Advanced Minimally Invasive Surgery
The Fellowship Council-accredited program at AdventHealth Tampa, Advanced fellowship education focused on minimally invasive and robotic procedures involving the colon and intestinal tract.
Physician-Led Care
Dr. Bhatt personally directs every step of your care. Robotic and laparoscopic techniques support tiny keyhole incisions, less pain, faster bowel recovery, and shorter hospital stays.
Recurrent abdominal pain with known Crohn’s disease
Bowel narrowing or intestinal stricture
Partial or complete bowel obstruction
Previous Crohn’s disease surgery with recurrent symptoms
Dr. Astha Bhatt provides physician-led consultations for patients seeking Crohn’s disease treatment and surgical evaluation in South Florida, including patients who need a first surgical opinion, second opinion, review of imaging, or planning for a previously recommended operation.
Serving Fort Lauderdale, Wilton Manors, Oakland Park, Lauderdale Lakes, Lauderhill, and Lauderdale-by-the-Sea with advanced bowel-sparing surgery for Crohn’s disease.
Serving Pompano Beach, Deerfield Beach, Lighthouse Point, Coconut Creek, and Hillsboro Beach for Crohn’s consultations, stricture evaluation, and robotic intestinal procedures.
Assisting Davie, Plantation, Weston, Cooper City, Southwest Ranches, Pembroke Pines, Miramar, West Park, Hollywood, and Hallandale Beach with specialized IBD care.
Providing robotic bowel resections and strictureplasties for patients residing in Coral Springs, Parkland, Margate, North Lauderdale, Tamarac, and Sunrise.
Patients traveling from Boca Raton and southern Palm Beach County can arrange consultation with Dr. Bhatt for Crohn’s disease surgery, bowel resection, stricture evaluation, or a second surgical opinion.
Dr. Bhatt also evaluates patients traveling from Miami-Dade County and surrounding South Florida communities who need specialized surgical assessment for complicated inflammatory bowel disease.
Our clinic and Dr. Bhatt provide specialized inflammatory bowel disease surgical care across Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties.
When an operation becomes necessary, Dr. Bhatt considers whether the procedure can safely be performed using a laparoscopic or robotic-assisted approach.Dr. Astha Bhatt specializes in robotic Crohn’s disease surgery utilizing the da Vinci® Surgical System.
Current ECCO guidance recommends a laparoscopic approach as first-line for abdominal Crohn’s surgery when appropriate expertise and clinical circumstances allow. Robotic assistance may also be considered for selected operations based on the anatomy and complexity of the case.
PATIENT QUESTIONS
Crohn’s disease is a chronic form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in which inflammation can affect different portions of the digestive tract. The small intestine and colon are commonly involved, but Crohn’s disease can occur anywhere along the gastrointestinal tract.
Some patients primarily experience diarrhea, abdominal discomfort, fatigue, or weight loss. Others develop structural complications such as intestinal narrowing, obstruction, fistulas, abscesses, or damage to a segment of bowel.
Treatment is individualized. Many patients are managed primarily with medications under the care of a gastroenterologist, while surgical evaluation becomes important when Crohn’s disease causes complications or does not respond adequately to nonsurgical treatment.
Common procedures include removing damaged bowel segments (bowel resection), widening narrowed intestinal areas (strictureplasty), repairing fistulas, draining abscesses, or creating a temporary stoma (ostomy) to allow inflamed bowel tissue to heal safely.
The type of Crohn’s disease surgery depends on where the disease is located, how much of the intestine is affected, and whether complications such as a stricture, bowel obstruction, fistula, abscess, or severe Crohn’s colitis are present. The goal is to treat the problem while preserving as much healthy bowel as possible.
Common surgical options include:
Not every patient with Crohn’s disease needs surgery, and there is no single operation that is best for everyone. A Crohn’s disease surgeon in South Florida should review your imaging, colonoscopy findings, previous treatments, prior surgeries, nutritional status, and the exact location of disease before recommending the safest approach.
Both robotic and laparoscopic Crohn’s disease surgery are minimally invasive approaches performed through small abdominal incisions.
With laparoscopic surgery, the surgeon uses a camera and long, straight instruments. With robotic surgery, the da Vinci® system provides magnified 3D visualization and wristed instruments that offer greater range of motion.
Robotic surgery can be helpful in selected patients with significant inflammation, scar tissue, fistulas, or prior abdominal surgery. However, the best approach depends on the location and complexity of the disease.
For patients considering Crohn’s disease surgery in South Florida, the goal is to treat the diseased bowel safely while preserving as much healthy intestine as possible. Dr. Bhatt selects the operative approach based on safety rather than using the same technique for every patient.
If you are searching for a Crohn’s disease surgeon near you, look for a physician with formal surgical training, experience with inflammatory bowel disease complications, familiarity with bowel-preserving techniques, and the ability to coordinate treatment with gastroenterology and other specialists.
Dr. Astha Bhatt provides Crohn’s disease surgical consultations for patients throughout Broward County, including Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, Deerfield Beach, Lighthouse Point, Coconut Creek, Coral Springs, Parkland, Plantation, Davie, Cooper City, Weston, and surrounding communities.
Patients can bring prior colonoscopy reports, operative reports, CT or MRI imaging, pathology results, medication lists, and gastroenterology records to help make the first consultation more productive.
Call (954) 388-0860 or use the online appointment form to request a consultation with Dr. Astha Bhatt.
If possible, provide information about your diagnosis and the reason for the consultation, such as a stricture, bowel obstruction, fistula, abscess, recurrent symptoms after previous surgery, recommendation for bowel resection, or request for a second surgical opinion.
For the most complete evaluation, bring or arrange transfer of relevant CT or MRI images, colonoscopy reports, pathology results, previous operative reports, hospital records, and a current medication list.
Patients are evaluated from throughout Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, Boca Raton, Miami-Dade County, and South Florida.
Strictureplasty treats selected small-bowel strictures without removing the narrowed intestinal segment.
The surgeon opens and reconstructs the strictured area to create a wider passage. This can be useful for patients who have multiple small-bowel strictures or for whom preserving bowel length is especially important.
Not every narrowing is appropriate for strictureplasty. The location, length, degree of inflammation, presence of penetrating disease, previous surgery, and concern for dysplasia or cancer can change the treatment choice.
Strictureplasty is generally a small-bowel operation and is not routinely recommended for colonic strictures.
Not every patient undergoing Crohn’s disease surgery needs an ostomy.
When the diseased bowel can be safely removed and the remaining intestine can be securely reconnected, an ostomy may not be necessary.
A temporary ileostomy or colostomy may be recommended when there is severe inflammation, infection, poor nutritional status, significant steroid exposure, questionable tissue healing, complex fistulizing disease, or another concern about safely protecting a bowel connection.
Some patients with extensive Crohn’s disease of the colon and rectum may require a permanent ileostomy. Whenever possible, Dr. Bhatt discusses the likelihood and purpose of an ostomy before a planned operation.
Surgery may be recommended when Crohn’s disease produces a complication that cannot be adequately treated with medication, endoscopy, drainage, nutrition, or other nonsurgical measures.
Common reasons include a fixed bowel stricture causing recurrent obstruction, fistulizing disease, abscesses, severely damaged intestine, persistent disease despite appropriate medical therapy, major bleeding, perforation, precancerous changes, or cancer.
Surgical timing matters. When possible, infection should be controlled and nutrition and other medical conditions optimized before an elective operation.
The purpose of surgery is to treat the specific complication while preserving as much healthy intestine as safely possible—not simply to remove every area that has ever shown inflammation.
Still Have Questions About Crohn’s Disease Surgery? Call (954) 388-0860
UNDERSTANDING CROHN'S DISEASE & WHEN SURGICAL INTERVENTION IS NECESSARY
When medical therapies—such as steroids, immunomodulators, or biologics—are no longer effective, surgical intervention becomes the cornerstone of your comprehensive care plan. The primary objective of Crohn’s disease surgery is to safely alleviate intestinal blockages, remove non-functioning or deeply ulcerated segments, repair fistulas, and restore digestive comfort—all while preserving as much healthy bowel length as possible to prevent malabsorption. Rather than treating inflammation throughout the body, Dr. Bhatt focus on an operation treats a specific structural or dangerous complication such as an obstructed bowel segment, fistula, abscess-related disease, perforation, severely damaged intestine, dysplasia, or cancer.
✓
STEP 1: Inflammatory / Non-Stricturing Disease: Active mucosal inflammation without major scarring. Surgical intervention is considered when severe disease does not respond to maximum medical therapy or when acute bleeding or localized perforation occurs.
✓
STEP 2: Stricturing / Fibrostenotic Disease: Chronic scar tissue causes significant narrowing of the intestinal lumen, leading to painful partial or complete bowel blockages. Bowel-preserving strictureplasty or targeted robotic resection removes the obstruction and restores transit.
✓
STEP 3: Fistulizing / Penetrating Disease: Inflammation burrows through the bowel wall, creating tunnels (fistulas) to other bowel loops, the bladder, or perianal skin, often with abscesses. Treatment combines gentle abscess drainage, seton placement, and fistula tract closure.
✓
STEP 4: Severe Crohn’s Colitis & Dysplasia: When Crohn’s disease severely affects the colon and rectum, or inflammation produces precancerous dysplasia, a subtotal colectomy or proctocolectomy provides definitive disease management and cancer prevention.
We compile your diagnostic reports, CT/MR enterographies, and colonoscopies to ensure a highly focused, productive first visit with our surgical team
Dr. Bhatt coordinates directly with your gastroenterologist, primary care physician, and nutritionist to align medical and surgical plans.
Contact our office for priority scheduling if you have a stricture, obstruction, fistula, abscess, or need a surgical evaluation.
We handle prior authorizations and coverage verification so you can focus entirely on your healing and recovery.
Dr. Astha Bhatt provides surgical consultation and coordinated IBD care for patients throughout Broward County, Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, Deerfield Beach, Coral Springs, Plantation, Davie, Weston, Boca Raton, Miami-Dade County, and surrounding South Florida communities. Call our office at (954) 388-0860 or book online to verify your benefits and schedule a colon cancer surgery consultation in South Florida.
