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Dr. Denise Carneiro-Pla, MD

(208 Ratings)

Specializes in: General Surgery and Surgical Oncology (Cancer Surgery)

Professional interests include: endocrine surgery, endocrine diseases (hormone disorders), tumor, and more.

8992 University Boulevard
North Charleston, SC 29406

(843) 792-1414

Dr. Denise Carneiro-Pla, MD is a general surgeon in Charleston, SC specializing in general surgery and surgical oncology (cancer surgery). Dr. Denise Carneiro-Pla, MD is affiliated with MUSC Health and University Medical Associates.

Office Locations

Address:

171 Ashley Avenue
Charleston, SC 29425

Address:

86 Jonathan Lucas Street
Charleston, SC 29425

Address:

8992 University Boulevard
North Charleston, SC 29406

Some issues Dr. Denise Carneiro-Pla, MD can help you with:

Adrenalectomy (Adrenal Surgery)

Adrenalectomy is a surgical procedure to remove the adrenal glands, which lie above each kidney. The adrenal glands are responsible for producing hormones that are necessary for bodily functions, such as the regulation of blood pressure and metabolism. If the adrenal glands overproduce certain hormones, or if a tumor grows on them, removal of the glands is a treatment option.

Adrenal surgery can be open or laparoscopic. Laparoscopic adrenalectomy is a minimally invasive procedure that inserts a thin tube with a camera (laparoscope) through several small incisions on the abdomen. The surgeon uses the laparoscope to guide the procedure and is able to access and remove adrenal glands through the small incisions. Laparoscopic adrenal surgery lasts approximately 1-2 hours.

Laparoscopic adrenalectomy is associated with shorter recovery periods, reduced risk of infection, and smaller scars. Although these factors may be desirable, the location of the tumor, its size, and the severity of the condition may require that an individual instead undergo open surgery. An open adrenalectomy is typically done for larger adrenal tumors and requires a single, large incision on the abdomen. Open adrenal surgery takes around 2-4 hours.

Following the operation, patients will remain in the hospital for 1-2 days for a laparoscopic adrenalectomy or 3-5 days for an open adrenalectomy. Patients will likely have a liquid diet immediately after their surgery, but should be able to return to solid foods after a day. If both of the glands are removed, patients will be given drug therapy to replace the hormones they produced.

Parathyroid Surgery

Parathyroid surgery is a procedure done to identify and remove diseased parathyroid glands. These tiny glands in the neck regulate calcium levels in the body. Occasionally, one or more of the parathyroid glands can become hyperactive, swelling and causing too much calcium to be moved from the bones to the bloodstream. This is called hyperparathyroidism, and it can cause problems including weakness, nervous system disorders, and kidney problems. To treat hyperparathyroidism, overactive parathyroid glands are removed.

One kind of parathyroid surgery is called bilateral neck exploration. The surgeon finds and looks at all of the parathyroid glands on both sides of the neck, visually identifying any that are diseased and removing them. Minimally invasive, or focused, parathyroidectomy is done to remove a single diseased gland. The gland causing problems is identified before surgery using localization techniques such as hormonal or radiology testing. Since in most cases only one gland is causing problems, focused parathyroidectomy is a common alternative to bilateral neck exploration. Both procedures are safe and effective.

In the rare case that all four glands are diseased, the surgeon will either remove three and a half glands and leave one half in place, or all four will be removed and part of one gland will be transplanted into the forearm. This is done to keep calcium levels where they should be.

After surgery, patients will have a bandage on their neck and a sore throat. Patients may only want liquids or very soft food for the first day, and thy may be asked to take calcium supplements for a while until their remaining parathyroid glands begin functioning well again. Recovery is fairly quick, and within a few days patients should be feeling like themselves again.

Thyroid Surgery

Thyroid surgery is a procedure to remove all or part of the thyroid gland. The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland in the lower neck that regulates the hormones that manage metabolism. Thyroid surgery, also known as thyroidectomy, treats thyroid disorders such as hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid), hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid), goiters (noncancerous thyroid inflammation), and thyroid cancer. It may also be used to remove thyroid nodules or cysts that have a risk of becoming cancerous.

Both hypothyroidism and goiters are caused by an autoimmune reaction where the body produces antibodies that attack the thyroid cells for unknown reasons. The thyroid reacts by releasing too little or too much T3 and T4 thyroid hormones, impairing thyroid function and causing irregular metabolism. Goiters develop from the autoimmune reaction causing continued antibody damage to the thyroid over time. Thyroid goiters are large, swollen lumps that can be felt near the base of the neck. Obstructive goiters can cause pain, coughing, and abnormal breathing. Hypothyroidism may also be caused by iodine deficiency, as iodine is needed to produce thyroid hormones.

The exact cause of thyroid cancer and thyroid nodules or cysts is unknown. While thyroid cancer and thyroid nodules or cysts can occur in individuals with thyroid disorders, they are not associated with a malfunctioning thyroid.

Physicians may prescribe thyroid surgery if blood tests reveal patients' thyroid stimulating hormones (TSA) are outside of the acceptable range, indicating a malfunctioning thyroid. Thyroid biopsies (tissue samples) and tests for thyroid-attacking antibodies are also criteria for surgery.

An ENT or general surgeon performs thyroid surgery. While a patient is placed under anesthesia, the surgeon makes an incision at the center of the neck and removes the thyroid gland. Two alternative methods of thyroid surgery are transoral (incision through the mouth) and endoscopic, where a surgeon operates a video camera for live footage to help guide the removal process.

Thyroid surgery requires minimal aftercare. Most patients recover quickly and resume normal activities within a few days of surgery. However, thyroid surgery patients must take daily synthetic thyroid medication (levothyroxine) for life to replace their removed thyroid.

aspiration	52
diagnostic procedures	63
doctor visit	261
endocrine surgery	66
excision	11
image guided procedures	52
lobectomy	16
lymph node procedures	11
minimally invasive procedures	51
minor procedures	52
neck imaging	232
neck surgery	29
open surgery	11
ultrasound (sonogram)	232

**Gender**
Male	52
Female	178

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	153
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	126
From 75 to 84	54
85 and over	0
Less than 65	0

Hypertension	74
High Cholesterol	65
Stroke	5
Ischemic Heart Disease	25
Depression	20
Chronic Kidney Disease	26
Asthma	6
Osteoperosis	12
Atrial Fibrilation	12
Heart Failure	11
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	7
Diabetes	37
Dementia	0
Cancer	10

aspiration	66
diagnostic procedures	86
doctor visit	265
endocrine surgery	70
excision	20
image guided procedures	66
lobectomy	14
lymph node procedures	20
minimally invasive procedures	65
minor procedures	66
neck imaging	217
neck surgery	36
open surgery	20
ultrasound (sonogram)	217

**Gender**
Male	42
Female	174

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	150
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	129
From 75 to 84	0
85 and over	0
Less than 65	44

Hypertension	64
High Cholesterol	60
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	24
Depression	19
Chronic Kidney Disease	21
Asthma	6
Osteoperosis	13
Atrial Fibrilation	5
Heart Failure	13
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	7
Diabetes	35
Dementia	0
Cancer	9

aspiration	52
diagnostic procedures	75
doctor visit	278
endocrine surgery	93
excision	23
image guided procedures	52
lobectomy	16
lymph node procedures	23
minimally invasive procedures	51
minor procedures	52
neck imaging	253
neck surgery	49
open surgery	23
ultrasound (sonogram)	253

**Gender**
Male	120
Female	376

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	330
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	290
From 75 to 84	0
85 and over	0
Less than 65	104

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	64
Stroke	6
Ischemic Heart Disease	29
Depression	26
Chronic Kidney Disease	34
Asthma	12
Osteoperosis	13
Atrial Fibrilation	9
Heart Failure	16
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	10
Diabetes	34
Dementia	0
Cancer	11

aspiration	69
diagnostic procedures	90
doctor visit	306
endocrine surgery	112
excision	21
image guided procedures	69
lobectomy	20
lymph node procedures	21
minimally invasive procedures	68
minor procedures	69
neck imaging	276
neck surgery	62
open surgery	21
ultrasound (sonogram)	276

**Gender**
Male	62
Female	211

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	183
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	157
From 75 to 84	0
85 and over	0
Less than 65	60

Hypertension	72
High Cholesterol	58
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	24
Depression	21
Chronic Kidney Disease	31
Asthma	16
Osteoperosis	16
Atrial Fibrilation	8
Heart Failure	14
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	11
Diabetes	31
Dementia	0
Cancer	14

aspiration	55
diagnostic procedures	80
doctor visit	297
endocrine surgery	100
excision	25
image guided procedures	55
lobectomy	17
lymph node procedures	25
minimally invasive procedures	66
minor procedures	55
neck imaging	277
neck surgery	85
open surgery	25
ultrasound (sonogram)	277

**Gender**
Male	80
Female	217

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	203
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	169
From 75 to 84	70
85 and over	0
Less than 65	0

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	56
Stroke	4
Ischemic Heart Disease	27
Depression	20
Chronic Kidney Disease	32
Asthma	4
Osteoperosis	15
Atrial Fibrilation	8
Heart Failure	12
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	7
Diabetes	32
Dementia	4
Cancer	18

aspiration	45
diagnostic procedures	56
doctor visit	300
endocrine surgery	44
excision	11
image guided procedures	45
lobectomy	10
lymph node procedures	11
minimally invasive procedures	44
minor procedures	45
neck imaging	264
neck surgery	36
open surgery	11
ultrasound (sonogram)	264

**Gender**
Male	52
Female	210

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	188
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	162
From 75 to 84	52
85 and over	0
Less than 65	0

Hypertension	74
High Cholesterol	65
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	28
Depression	23
Chronic Kidney Disease	35
Asthma	8
Osteoperosis	13
Atrial Fibrilation	5
Heart Failure	15
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	10
Diabetes	36
Dementia	0
Cancer	13

doctor visit	191
endocrine surgery	57
lobectomy	10
neck imaging	189
neck surgery	49
ultrasound (sonogram)	189

**Gender**
Male	42
Female	161

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	142
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	123
From 75 to 84	45
85 and over	0
Less than 65	0

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	61
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	23
Depression	27
Chronic Kidney Disease	39
Asthma	9
Osteoperosis	18
Atrial Fibrilation	7
Heart Failure	14
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	8
Diabetes	38
Dementia	0
Cancer	15

doctor visit	197
endocrine surgery	28
neck imaging	160
neck surgery	31
ultrasound (sonogram)	160

**Gender**
Male	38
Female	152

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	150
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	124
From 75 to 84	40
85 and over	0
Less than 65	0

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	72
Stroke	0
Ischemic Heart Disease	25
Depression	28
Chronic Kidney Disease	38
Asthma	6
Osteoperosis	17
Atrial Fibrilation	8
Heart Failure	16
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	9
Diabetes	34
Dementia	0
Cancer	13

doctor visit	341
endocrine surgery	105
lobectomy	25
neck imaging	331
neck surgery	82
ultrasound (sonogram)	331

Average Medicare Procedure Volume From 2013 - 2021

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Denise Carneiro-Pla, MD for Medicare patients.

The highest averages for the top procedures that Dr. Denise Carneiro-Pla, MD treated as a general surgeon in Charleston, SC were ultrasound (sonogram), neck imaging, endocrine surgery and diagnostic procedures.

aspiration	56
diagnostic procedures	75
doctor visit	272
endocrine surgery	78
excision	18
image guided procedures	56
lobectomy	16
lymph node procedures	18
minimally invasive procedures	58
minor procedures	56
neck imaging	244
neck surgery	52
open surgery	18
ultrasound (sonogram)	244

Average Medicare Patient Data From 2013 - 2021

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Denise Carneiro-Pla, MD.

**Gender**
Male	48
Female	167

**Ethnicity**
Black / African American	0
Asian / Pacific Islander	0
Non-Hispanic White	149
Native American / Alaskan Native	0
Hispanic	0
Other	0

**Age**
85 and over	0
75 to 84	26
Less than 65	20
65 to 74	128

Average of Total of Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Denise Carneiro-Pla, MD From 2013 - 2021

The highest averages of the most common conditions of Medicare patients that Dr. Denise Carneiro-Pla, MD treated were hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes and chronic kidney disease.

Hypertension	58
High Cholesterol	50
Stroke	1
Ischemic Heart Disease	20
Depression	18
Chronic Kidney Disease	25
Asthma	6
Osteoporosis	11
Heart Failure	11
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	6
Diabetes	27
Atrial Fibrillation	6
Dementia	0
Cancer	10

Education & Training

She completed residency at University of Miami Affiliated Hospitals. She has a state license in South Carolina.

Residency: University of Miami Affiliated Hospitals

Licensed In: South Carolina

Affiliations & Hospitals

Dr. Denise Carneiro-Pla, MD is associated with these hospitals and organizations:

MUSC Health

University Medical Associates

Insurance Information

Please note: Insurance information may change at any time, and the provider may accept your insurance plan even if it is not listed below. Please contact the provider's office to confirm that your insurance is accepted.

Dr. Denise Carneiro-Pla, MD appears to accept the following insurance providers: MedCost, Aetna Medicare, CIGNA Medicare, WellCare, Group Health Plan (GHP), Blue Choice, United Healthcare, Great-West Healthcare, Medicaid, Humana, Cigna, Community Care Network (CCN), Molina Healthcare, TRICARE, Coventry, Employers Health Network, First Health, Clover Health, Ambetter from Absolute Total Care (Marketplace), AllWell by Absolute Total Care, Aetna (Open Choice), See All Accepted Insurances, First Choice Next, Blue Cross Blue Shield Planned Administrators, Aetna (Exclusive Choice), First Choice/Select Health (NEIC), Blue Cross Blue Shield State Health Plan for South Carolina, Aetna (Managed Choice), BCBS Blue Essentials (Marketplace), Aetna (Preferred Provider Organization), Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal (FEP), Blue Cross Blue Shield Preferred Blue (PPC), Absolute Total Care (NEIC), Medicare A & B (Traditional Medicare), See Fewer Accepted Insurances and Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare.

Insurance Accepted by Provider includes:

According to our sources, Dr. Denise Carneiro-Pla, MD accepts the following insurance providers:

MedCost

Aetna Medicare

CIGNA Medicare

WellCare

Group Health Plan (GHP)

Blue Choice

United Healthcare

Great-West Healthcare

Medicaid

Humana

Cigna

Community Care Network (CCN)

Molina Healthcare

TRICARE

Coventry

Employers Health Network

First Health

Clover Health

Ambetter from Absolute Total Care (Marketplace)

AllWell by Absolute Total Care

Aetna (Open Choice)

See All Accepted Insurances

First Choice Next

Blue Cross Blue Shield Planned Administrators

Aetna (Exclusive Choice)

First Choice/Select Health (NEIC)

Blue Cross Blue Shield State Health Plan for South Carolina

Aetna (Managed Choice)

BCBS Blue Essentials (Marketplace)

Aetna (Preferred Provider Organization)

Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal (FEP)

Blue Cross Blue Shield Preferred Blue (PPC)

Absolute Total Care (NEIC)

Medicare A & B (Traditional Medicare)

See Fewer Accepted Insurances

Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare

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Ratings & Reviews

Dr. Denise Carneiro-Pla, MD has an exceptional overall rating with an average of 4.9 out of 5 stars based on 208 ratings. We collect ratings and reviews of Dr. Denise Carneiro-Pla, MD from all over the web to help you find the right in Charleston, SC.

4.9

Overall Rating

(208 Ratings)

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General Payments

These charts describe general payments received by Dr. Denise Carneiro-Pla, MD. Doctors may receive payments for a number of reasons, including meal compensation, travel compensation, and consulting.

**Payments by Company**
Corcept Therapeutics	$174 Korlym $174
Dexcom, Inc.	$167 DEXCOM G7 GSS (161) $167
Ethicon US, LLC	$121 ECHELON FLEX Stapler $82	ECHELON ENDOPATH $21	SURGICEL Powder Endoscopic Applicator $18
Medtronic, Inc.	$90 PTEYE PARATHYROID DETECTION SYSTEM $90

**Types of Payments**
Food and Beverage	$553

Biography

Dr. Denise Carneiro-Pla specializes in general surgery and surgical oncology (cancer surgery) and practices in Charleston, SC and North Charleston, SC. She has received a 5.0 out of 5 star rating by her patients. She is especially interested in adrenalectomy (adrenal surgery), thyroid cancer, and thyroid surgery. Dr. Carneiro-Pla usually is in-network for Blue California, Coventry, and Employers Health Network, as well as other insurance carriers. Her residency was performed at a hospital affiliated with the University of Miami. She speaks Portuguese. Dr. Carneiro-Pla is professionally affiliated with MUSC Health and the University Medical Associates.