Dr. Rodolfo Pigalarga, MD, FACS, FASCRS, Surgeon
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Dr. Rodolfo Pigalarga, MD, FACS, FASCRS

Surgeon

4/5(18)
1625 N George Mason Dr Suite 334 Arlington VA, 22205
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Rating

4/5

About

Rodolfo Pigalarga is a double Board-certified General and Colorectal surgeon with Virginia Hospital Center Physician Group – Colorectal Surgery division in Arlington, VA and Assistant Professor of Surgery at Georgetown University, Washington, DC.

Dr. Pigalarga attended Universita’ Cattolica Del Sacro Cuore in Rome, Italy and graduated with honors in 2002. He then trained as a General Surgery intern at the same university for one year, before moving to the United States to continue his medical training. He was a resident in General Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh for two years, and went on to complete his residency at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. From 2011 to 2012, Dr. Pigalarga was a Colon and Rectal Surgery Fellow at the Orlando Regional Medical Center in Orlando, Florida.

Prior to joining the VHC Physician Group, Dr. Pigalarga practiced as a colorectal surgeon for 5 years at Gastro Health in Miami, FL, one of the largest GI and Colorectal Surgery private practices in South Florida. He has also served as a Voluntary Assistant Professor of Surgery at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University.

He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons.

Dr. Pigalarga moved to the DC area in 2019, and outside of work, enjoys following Internazionale Milano and DC United football teams, jogging, playing tennis and spending time with his wife, Carolina, and two children, Lia and Luca.

Education and Training

Catholic University of Rome MD 2002

Board Certification

American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery

American Board of Surgery

Provider Details

Male English, Spanish, Italian
Dr. Rodolfo Pigalarga, MD, FACS, FASCRS
Dr. Rodolfo Pigalarga, MD, FACS, FASCRS's Expert Contributions
  • Diverticulosis or endometriosis cause of bowel adhesions?

    It is hard for me to form an opinion without having inspected the area intraoperatively. Having said that, both diverticular disease and endometrial implants could affect the sigmoid colon and make it look the way you described it. Endometriosis could certainly cause an inflammatory reaction in the areas close to the implants, not necessarily only where the implants are. At the same time, diverticular disease (chronic thickening of the colonic wall related to diverticulosis) can also cause that type of inflammatory reaction in completely asymptomatic patients. You are definitely quite young to have diverticular disease, but it could still happen and I routinely see young patients with acute and chronic diverticulitis, not too unusual. I think that a colonoscopy is a very reasonable option to achieve a better idea of the status of the colon and I would recommend that too. I would also consider to have a a colorectal surgeon doing it, as a colorectal surgeon might be able to correlate colonoscopy findings and "feeling" during the instrumentation with possible symptoms and potential need for surgery in the future. Hope this helps. Good luck. READ MORE

Areas of expertise and specialization

Colon and rectal cancerInflammatory Bowel Diseases (Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis)Benign Anorectal Diseases (Hemorrhoids, Anal Fistulas, Rectal Abscesses, Anal Fissures, Pruritus Ani)Anal Dysplasia and Anal CancerMinimally Invasive Robotic SurgeryColon Cancer ScreeningPelvic Floor Dysfunction (Rectal Prolapse, Rectocele, Rectal Intussusception)Colonic VolvulusFecal Incontinence (Biofeedback, Sacral Nerve Modulation)Diverticular Disease

Faculty Titles & Positions

  • Assistant Professor of Surgery Georgetown University 2019 - Present

Awards

  • Patients’ Choice Award (2018, 2017, 2016) Year  
  • On-Time Doctor Award (2018, 2017, 2016) Year  
  • Compassionate Doctor Recognition (2018, 2017) Year  

Professional Memberships

  • American College of Surgeons  
  • American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons  

Charities and Philanthropic Endeavors

  • Arlington County Medical Society

Fellowships

  • Orlando Regional Medical Center, Colon and Rectal Clinic

Professional Society Memberships

  • American College of Surgeons, American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons

Areas of research

Master Surgeon in Robotic Surgery / Excellence in Safety, Efficacy and Efficiency - accredited by Surgical Review Corporation (January 2021-2024)

Dr. Rodolfo Pigalarga, MD, FACS, FASCRS's Practice location

Virginia Hospital Center Physician Group

1625 N George Mason Dr Suite 334 -
Arlington, VA 22205
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New patients: 703-717-4180
www.vhcphysiciangroup.com

Dr. Rodolfo Pigalarga, MD, FACS, FASCRS's reviews

(18)
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Patient Experience with Dr. Pigalarga


4.0

Based on 18 reviews

Dr. Rodolfo Pigalarga, MD, FACS, FASCRS has a rating of 4 out of 5 stars based on the reviews from 18 patients. FindaTopDoc has aggregated the experiences from real patients to help give you more insights and information on how to choose the best Surgeon in your area. These reviews do not reflect a providers level of clinical care, but are a compilation of quality indicators such as bedside manner, wait time, staff friendliness, ease of appointment, and knowledge of conditions and treatments.

Media Releases

Get to know Colorectal Surgeon Dr. Rodolfo Pigalarga, who serves patients in Arlington, Virginia.

Dr. Pigalarga is a board-certified colorectal surgeon with VHC Physician Group – Colorectal Surgery, located in Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Virginia.

Prior to joining the VHC Physician Group – Colorectal Surgery in the winter of 2019, he practiced as a colorectal surgeon for 5 years at Gastro Health in Miami, Florida, one of the largest GI and colorectal surgery private practices in South Florida. He also served as a Voluntary Assistant Professor of Surgery at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University. 

Educated in Italy, Dr. Pigalarga graduated with his medical degree from Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in 2002. He then trained as a general surgery intern at the same university for one year, before moving to the United States to continue his medical training. He was a resident in general surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center for two years, and went on to complete his residency at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where he had the opportunity to train with Dr. Craig Rezac. From 2011 to 2012, he was a colon and rectal surgery fellow at the Orlando Regional Medical Center in Orlando, Florida.

The doctor is board-certified in colon and rectal surgery by the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery, which was established to promote the health and welfare of the American people through the development and maintenance of high standards for certification in the specialty of colon and rectal surgery.

A Master Surgeon in Robotic Surgery, Dr. Pigalarga is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) and a Fellow of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (FASCRS).

Colorectal surgery is a field of medicine dealing with disorders of the rectum, anus, and colon. The field is also known as proctology; however, this term is now used infrequently within medicine and is most often employed to identify practices relating to the anus and rectum in particular. A colorectal surgeon specializes in the preoperative, operative, and postoperative care of patients with colorectal disorders.

Among Dr. Pigalarga’s various accolades include Patients’ Choice Award (2018, 2017, 2016), On-Time Doctor Award (2018, 2017, 2016), and Compassionate Doctor Recognition (2018, 2017).

Outside of work, he enjoys following Internazionale Milano and DC United football teams, jogging, playing tennis, as well as spending time with his wife, Carolina, and two children, Lia and Luca. He speaks English, Italian, and Spanish.

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