Michael Svestka, MD, FACS, a general surgeon specializing in hernia repair and abdominal wall reconstruction at Virginia Hernia & General Surgery in Fairfax, Virginia, has been named a 2026 Castle Connolly Top Doctor. This is the first year Dr. Svestka has received the prestigious designation, which is awarded to only 7 percent of licensed physicians nationwide based on peer nominations and rigorous selection criteria.
Dr. Svestka’s practice focuses on advanced abdominal wall reconstruction and comprehensive hernia care, treating conditions from routine groin and ventral hernias to complex recurrent and reconstructive cases. He performs a variety of surgical procedures using open, minimally invasive, and reconstructive techniques, including the Transversus Abdominis Release (TAR) technique, an innovation for repairing complex incisional hernias and large defects.
“Being recognized as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor is a tremendous honor, particularly because the selection process is driven by peer recognition,” Dr. Svestka said. “To me, it reflects not only surgical expertise, but also the trust of colleagues, patients, and the broader medical community.” He emphasized that his philosophy centers on individualized care and direct access to the surgeon responsible for the patient’s treatment, noting that hernia surgery is not one-size-fits-all.
Dr. Svestka earned his medical degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School in 2013 and completed a five-year general surgery residency at Stony Brook University Hospital, where he served as Administrative Chief Resident and received five teaching awards. He then trained in abdominal wall reconstruction at the Cleveland Clinic Comprehensive Hernia Center, one of the nation’s leading hernia programs, working directly with surgeons who helped develop the TAR technique.
His clinical expertise includes evaluating primary groin (inguinal) hernias, umbilical hernias, ventral hernias, large abdominal wall defects, complex recurrent hernias, mesh complications, and cases requiring revisional surgery. Dr. Svestka is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and maintains active memberships in the American Hernia Society and the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons. He also serves as a peer reviewer for Surgical Endoscopy.
Castle Connolly Top Doctors are nominated by peer physicians and selected by the physician-led Castle Connolly research team. The selection process considers medical education, training, hospital appointments, and disciplinary histories. Doctors cannot pay to be selected. For more information, visit Castle Connolly.
This recognition underscores the importance of specialized hernia care and the value of peer acknowledgment in identifying top surgical talent. For patients in the Washington, D.C., area, Dr. Svestka’s designation offers assurance of high-quality, patient-centered surgical treatment.
