Dr. C. Elton Cahow, an international leader in laparoscopic surgery who was also credited for advancing surgical techniques in gastrointestinal procedures, died Jan. 9 at his home in Branford, Connecticut, after a brief illness. He was 65 years old.
Dr. Cahow, a member of the faculty of the School of Medicine for 33 years, was the William H. Carmalt Professor of Surgery and vice chair of the department of surgery. He served in numerous capacities during his years at Yale, including chief of the section of general surgery at the medical school and at Yale-New Haven Hospital (YNHH), program director of the YNHH's surgical residency program and chief of surgery for Yale University Health Services. He was named a full professor in 1977 and was appointed to the Carmalt chair in 1987, when he also became vice chair of the surgery department.
In recent years, Dr. Cahow became well known for his expertise in the performance, critical evaluation and teaching of laparoscopic surgery. His specialty was surgery of the liver, bile ducts and pancreas, but he also developed new approaches in the rebuilding of the esophagus, pharynx and larynx after cancer surgery. He also developed a technique to reconstruct bile ducts impaired by injury or inflammatory disease.
Dr. Cahow was born in 1931 in Fort Pierce, Florida. He graduated from Davidson College with a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1952 and from the Cornell University School of Medicine in 1956. He served internships in surgery and medicine at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center and completed his residence in general and cardiothoracic surgery at New York Hospital.
Dr. Cahow was the author and coauthor of numerous clinical papers and chapters in scholarly texts. He belonged to many professional organizations, including the New England, Eastern and American Surgical Societies, the International Biliary and Hepato- Biliary-Pancreatic Associations, the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons, the American Gastroenterologic Association and the Connecticut Society of American Board Surgeons, of which he was a former president. He was a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
Dr. Cahow is survived by his wife, Dr. Barbara Kinder Cahow, a professor of surgery at the medical school; a son, Eric Cahow of Waterbury, Connecticut; four daughters, Joy C. Oosten of Wolcott, Connecticut, Robin C. Hickerson of West Haven, Connecticut, Caitlin K. Cahow of Branford, Connecticut, and Holly C. Lasagna of Peace Dale, Rhode Island; and six grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to the C. Elton Cahow Endowment Fund, c/o Larry Jerome, Senior Development Officer for Medical Development, 100 Church St. South, P.O. Box 7611, New Haven, Connecticut 06519.