Virginia Hospital Center is pleased to announce the addition of a new surgical specialty. Othon Wiltz, MD joined the medical staff in August 2006 to lead Washington Colorectal Surgery.

A seasoned specialist in disorders of the colon and rectum, Dr. Wiltz received his undergraduate and medical degrees at Johns Hopkins and Columbia Universities, respectively. He has been in practice for 13 years.

As one of only 1,300 board-certified colorectal surgeons in the nation, Dr. Wiltz performs roughly 225 colectomies (partial or complete removal of the colon) each year. This procedure is used to treat benign and malignant tumors, complications of diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis and other diseases of the lower digestive tract

Many of the disorders that fall under the umbrella of Dr. Wiltz's expertise are sensitive health problems that millions of individuals suffer in silence. Some four million Americans struggle with constipation. This often chronic condition is three times more common in women than men. It typically worsens after age 65, and causes approximately 900 deaths each year.

Fecal incontinence is another condition that is particularly devastating to older adults, affecting nearly 40 percent of residents in skilled nursing facilities. "It causes major social problems in that it curtails the ability to lead a normal life and leaves individuals trapped in their own homes," Dr. Wiltz observes.

With the addition of colorectal surgery, Virginia Hospital Center now offers comprehensive treatments for a broad range of digestive and pelvic floor disorders. As Director of the Hospital's new Anal Rectal Physiology Laboratory, Dr. Wiltz will be working in partnership with specialists at Washington Urology and Urogynecology & Pelvic Surgery at Virginia Hospital Center to develop comprehensive treatments for both male and female incontinence, as well as other urological and pelvic floor disorders.