Dr. Rockson Liu, MD, FACS: Hernia Repair, Minimally Invasive Surgery, General Surgeon — Local services in Oakland

I’ve been referred to Dr. Liu on separate occasions for a catheter placement and for hernias. The consultations were always highly informative and comforting. The surgeries involved minimal incisions, healed quickly and have served me well over a year later. His bedside manner exudes great competence and compassion and instilled a lot of calm and confidence through my hospital stays and recovery.

In every consultation, Dr. Liu spent enough time with us to explain the issues I was facing, the possible decisions we could make, the timelines involved for treatment and recovery, their implications, the type of activity and exercise I could do over the short and medium term and other issues. He answered the many questions my wife and I had, and always provided details when we wanted them. I particularly appreciated that he took an effort to communicate in layperson’s terms, even when providing details about laparoscopic surgery, or the mechanism by which my tissues would heal.

Dr. Liu identified my hernias from several feet away, even before he examined me. It was the most understated demonstration of a superpower I have witnessed! Due to an unrelated health issue flaring up, I was not discharged after my surgery in the normal way. COVID restrictions meant that my wife could not visit me either. I was very happy to see a familiar face when Dr. Liu came to check on me the morning after and assure me that everything would be fine. I felt well taken care of.

In the week after the my hernia surgery, I did not even notice the site, felt I could move normally and had no pain. I also had a catheter placed. The exit site had no discharge and healed very quickly. It’s been over a year since and I’ve had no issue with either. Nurses who’ve examined me, and my primary care physician, all with no connection to Dr. Liu’s practice, have admired how clean my catheter’s exit site is and how quickly it healed. All medical professionals who have examined me have showered praises on his...

When I came to Dr. Liu from Sacramento, I was in chronic pain and desperate for help. I had undergone inguinal hernia repair surgery with a Sacramento area surgeon. That surgeon repeatedly insisted that everything went fine, and that the surgery wouldn’t have caused my pain. He went so far as to suggest it couldn’t even be explained anatomically. After our first appointment, Dr. Liu suspected that he knew exactly what it was. And now here I am, five weeks post-op, complete removal of all the mesh and all nine permanent tacks. Some of the tacks were screwed deep into the periosteum, which I’d never heard of before until now. Sure enough, the issues known to be possible from this are pretty much identical to what I’ve been experiencing.

I had understood already that mesh removal is not often done. It’s a lengthy procedure with unique difficulties and risks. I had no idea though; how much delicate effort and raw skill goes into freeing the mesh up from all the sensitive items to which it can adhere to after implantation. I had very little anxiety about it all though, as it was such great comfort to have Dr. Liu as my surgeon. Everything went perfectly, it’s all gone and I’m in PT, trying to build back to normal. I’m still a bit shocked that it’s true.

How lucky am I to have found not only one of the absolute top surgeons, but also one who is seemingly energized by solving complex issues and tackling difficult cases like mine. I have seen a video of my procedure, and it’s just amazing to see Dr. Liu’s skill with the cutting-edge robotic tool (pun intended). Watching him work, you get the sense that Dr. Liu is completely in his element, doing what he does remarkably well, and that those of us who needed his help were very lucky indeed to have found him. Thank...

I just got my large (8 cm W x 18 cm L) incisional hernia repaired robotically by Dr Liu and now in my 3rd week of pretty smooth recovery. The outcome far exceeded all my expectations, especially given my age (66 Years) with long-standing Diabetes. Despite nearly 4 hour long surgery and a 24 cm x 30 cm abdominal mesh for closing my hernia defect by Dr Liu at Alta Bates hospital in Oakland, I was able to come home on the same day, off of all my pain medications by 4th day after surgery, and able to walk well over a mile by end of first week! During my pre-surgery consultations with Dr Liu, he was very patient and courteous to listen to and address all my concerns. He was also very candid at the same time about some of the risks and contingencies involved, but exuded lot of confidence in his ability to avoid or minimize them with his surgical experience and technique. This was crucial for me to feel confident to choose Dr Liu and opt for the robotic procedure over other reputed surgeons in Bay Area. Based on my experience, I highly recommend Dr Liu for anyone needing or exploring complex hernia repair or any other complex abdominal surgery with a robotic procedure. I'm extremely grateful to Dr Liu for his impeccable service, outstanding advise, and kind support...