Phone: 201-420-7903
Fax: 201-420-7986
Offices
Dr. Andrew de la Torre is a graduate of The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, completed his General Surgery residency at the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, and completed fellowships in liver, kidney, and pancreas transplant at the University of Maryland and Rutgers University Medical Schools. He holds an academic appointment at Rutgers Medical School in Newark. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease.
Patients challenged with the most complex illnesses of the liver, pancreas and bile ducts receive multidisciplinary care from medical oncologists, hepatologists, gastroenterologists, radiologists, and interventional radiologists. This balanced approach provides comprehensive care to patients and the best results possible.
With many years experience as a liver transplant surgeon, Dr. de la Torre was the first to perform a major liver resection laparoscopically in the state of New Jersey, and has been performing laparoscopic liver surgery since 2007. Dr. de la Torre has 25 years of experience in surgery of the liver, pancreas, bile ducts, management of cirrhosis, portal hypertension, and liver cancer. Dr. De la Torre specializes in tissue sparing laparoscopic liver surgery in patients with cirrhosis, allowing the possibility of avoiding liver transplant for tumors located in the liver that were once deemed not feasible to remove. Dr. de la Torre published "A Sling Technique For Laparoscopic Resection of Segment Seven of the Liver" in the Journal of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgery 2018 Apr-Jun; 22(2) and most recently "Sling Technique for Laparoscopic Liver Mobilization" Journal of the Society of Laparoscopic and Robotic Surgeons 2024 Apr-Jun;28(2). While most other surgeons in New Jersey start laparoscopically and eventually open, 95% of our patients start laparoscopically and end laparoscopically without compromise in surgical quality or safety.
In addition to laparoscopic liver surgery, Dr de la Torre specializes in laparoscopic pancreas surgery, performing the Whipple Procedure through a 3-4 inch incision. The pancreas leak rate has been 0%. Patients have less pain, shorter hospital stay (4-7 days) and even a lower hospital bill.
As liver, pancreas and biliary surgery push into new frontiers, so does the technology needed to plan these complex procedures. Whether laparoscopic or open surgery, every possible detail of the patient's care is analyzed to ensure surgery is safe and effective. 3D reconstructed imaging is used to plan surgery. No aspect of patient care is taken for granted.
In addition to advanced laparoscopic surgery of the liver, pancreas and bile ducts, Dr de la Torre works on grant funded population health projects to improve early diagnosis of liver, lung and colorectal cancer in Hudson County. His project "Electronic Health Record Year and Country of Birth Testing and Patient Navigation to Increase Diagnosis of Chronic Viral Hepatitis" was published in the Journal of Viral Hepatitis. Through that project, over 1000 people were newly diagnosed with hepatitis C infection, treated, avoiding future risk of liver cancer. Dr. de la Torre continues to work with New Jersey's neediest communities to make sure all of New Jersey's inhabitants have access to the highest quality of care. Led by Dr. de la Torre, patients identified at high risk for cirrhosis are found using algorithms in the electronic health record system at several hospitals in Hudson County and entered into a liver cancer surveillance registry. Patients then receive routine liver cancer screening, resulting in higher cure rates, longer survival and lower cost to patients.
In addition to advanced laparoscopic surgery of the liver, pancreas and bile ducts, Dr de la Torre works on grant funded population health projects to improve early diagnosis of liver, lung and colorectal cancer in Hudson County. His project "Electronic Health Record Year and Country of Birth Testing and Patient Navigation to Increase Diagnosis of Chronic Viral Hepatitis" was published in the Journal of Viral Hepatitis. Through that project, over 1000 people were newly diagnosed with hepatitis C infection, treated, avoiding future risk of liver cancer. Dr. de la Torre continues to work with New Jersey's neediest communities to make sure all of New Jersey's inhabitants have access to the highest quality of care. Led by Dr. de la Torre, patients identified at high risk for cirrhosis are found using algorithms in the electronic health record system at several hospitals in Hudson County and entered into a liver cancer surveillance registry. Patients then receive routine liver cancer screening, resulting in higher cure rates, longer survival and lower cost to patients.
Liver, pancreas and biliary procedures performed and illnesses treated include:
