Module 6 - General Surgery
Module 6 - General Surgery
Breast surgery
The following are some of the procedures carried out by the breast
surgeon:
Excision/biopsy of breast lump/fibroadenoma of breast
2
Vascular surgery
Vascular surgery is a specialty of surgery in which diseases of the
vascular system, or arteries and veins, are managed by medical therapy,
minimally-invasive catheter procedures, and surgical reconstruction. The
specialty evolved from general and cardiac surgery.
Lymphatic disease
Lymphoedema
Vascular Medicine
Medical disorders with a significant vascular component, for example:
Raynaud's syndrome
Scleroderma
Hyperhidrosis
Endocrine surgery is a specialised surgical field where procedures are
performed on endocrine glands to achieve a hormonal or anti-hormonal
effect in the body. Almost always, this entails operating to remove a
tumour which has grown on or within an endocrine gland. The field of
endocrine surgery typically comprises surgery for the thyroid gland,
parathyroid glands, and adrenal glands.
Although not typically referred to as endocrine surgery, it could be argued
that surgery of the pituitary gland, testicles, ovaries, and pancreas are
also forms of endocrine surgery since these glands are hormone
producing glands as well. More classically, however, only thyroid,
parathyroid and adrenal surgery are thought of as "endocrine surgery"
with pituitary surgery typically thought of as a form of neurosurgery;
testicle surgery typically thought of as urologic surgery; ovary surgery
typically thought of as a form of gynecologic surgery; and pancreatic
surgery typically thought of as oncology surgery. The commonest
endocrine surgery operation is removal of the thyroid (thyroidectomy),
followed by parathyroid surgery (parathyroidectomy), followed by the rare
operation on the adrenal gland (adrenalectomy).
Endocrine surgery has developed as a sub-specialty surgical category
because of the technical nature of these operations and the associated
risks of operating in the neck.
Dermatological Surgery
The following are some of the procedures carried out by the
Dermatological Surgeon:
Excision of pressure sore excluding repair
Microscopically controlled excision of lesion of skin or
subcutaneous tissue
originate from the anal glands, which are located between the two layers
of the anal sphincters and which drain into the anal canal
Appendicectomy - Appendectomy is the surgical removal of the
appendix. The appendix is a worm-shaped hollow pouch attached to the
cecum, the beginning of the large intestine.
Breast lump excision - Breast lump removal, called lumpectomy, is
surgery to remove a breast cancer or other lump in the breast, along with
some surrounding tissue from the breast.
Breast Lump Wide Excision & Axillary Sampling - is a surgical
procedure to remove a small area of diseased or problematic tissue with
a margin of normal tissue. This procedure is commonly performed on the
breast and to skin lesions, but can be used on any area of the body. The
tissue removed is examined under a microscope to confirm the type of
lesion and to grade malignant tumours. This examination also determines
if all of the lesion has been removed without leaving any behind
Cholecystectomy - is the surgical removal of the gallbladder. The two
basic types of this procedure are open cholecystectomy and the
laparoscopic approach. It is estimated that the laparoscopic procedure is
currently used for approximately 80% of cases.
Colonoscopy - is a test that allows your doctor to look at the inner lining
of your large intestine (rectum and colon). He or she uses a thin, flexible
tube called a colonoscope to look at the colon
Gastrectomy - is the surgical removal of all or part of the stomach.
Gastroscopy - Looking into the stomach with a flexible viewing
instrument called a gastroscope.
Haemorrhoidectomy - Surgical removal of hemorrhoids (enlarged and
dilated veins in and around the anus). Hemorrhoidectomy is usually
reserved for severe hemorrhoids if more conservative treatment
measures fail to alleviate the symptoms (burning, itching, swelling,
protrusion, bleeding, and pain).
Inguinal hernia repair - laparoscopic and open - An inguinal hernia
occurs when soft tissue usually part of the membrane lining the
abdominal cavity (omentum) or part of the intestine protrudes through
a weak point in the abdominal muscles. The resulting bulge can be
painful, especially when you cough, bend over or lift a heavy object.
An inguinal hernia isn't necessarily dangerous by itself. It doesn't get
better or go away on its own, however, and it can lead to life-threatening
complications. For this reason, your doctor is likely to recommend
surgery to fix an inguinal hernia that's painful or becoming larger. Inguinal
hernia repair is a common surgical procedure.
7
Module 6 - Procedures/Treatments
Abdominal surgery - Any operative procedure in which the abdominal cavity is
opened, and a surgeon excises or repairs damaged, redundant or malignant
tissue.
Bariatric/Gastric Bypass Surgery - Gastric bypass is surgery that helps you
lose weight by changing how your stomach and small intestine handle the food
you eat.
After the surgery, your stomach will be smaller. You will feel full with less food.
The food you eat will no longer go into some parts of your stomach and small
intestine that break down food. Because of this, your body will not absorb all of
the calories from the food you eat.
Cancer surgery an operation to repair or remove part of your body to
diagnose or treat cancer remains the foundation of cancer treatment. Your
doctor may use cancer surgery to achieve any number of goals, from
diagnosing and treating your cancer to relieving the symptoms it causes.
Cancer surgery may be your only treatment, or it may be supplemented with
other treatments, such as radiation, chemotherapy, hormone therapy and
biological therapy.
Cryotherapy - is a technique that uses an extremely cold liquid or instrument
to freeze and destroy abnormal skin cells that require removal. The technique
has been in use since the turn of the century, but modern techniques have
made it widely available to dermatologists and primary care doctors. The
technique is also called cryosurgery.
Laparoscopic appendectomy, cholecystectomy and hernia repair Laparoscopy is a type of surgical procedure in which a small incision is made,
usually in the navel, through which a viewing tube (laparoscope) is inserted.
The viewing tube has a small camera on the eyepiece. This allows the doctor to
examine the abdominal and pelvic organs on a video monitor connected to the
tube. Other small incisions can be made to insert instruments to perform
procedures. Laparoscopy can be done to diagnose conditions or to perform
certain types of operations. It is less invasive than regular open abdominal
surgery (laparotomy).
Robot-Assisted Surgery - computer-assisted surgery, and robotically-assisted
surgery are terms for technological developments that use robotic systems to
aid in surgical procedures. Robotically-assisted surgery was developed to
overcome the limitations of minimally-invasive surgery and to enhance the
capabilities of surgeons performing open surgery
10
11
14
Module 6 - Genetics
Genetics is a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and
variation in living organisms. Genetics departments are only found in the larger
teaching hospital. These departments offer a full diagnostic, genetic counseling
and genetic testing service to individuals and families affected with genetic
disorders. As these departments are few and far between, this chapter presents
only a short summary of the conditions treated.
Conditions
Multidisciplinary and Specialist clinics within the Clinical Genetics department:
Cardiac
Fetal Medicine
Huntingtons Disease
Myotonic Dystrophy
Neurogenetics
Ophthalmic
Paediatric Neurology
Skin disorders
Tay Sachs
15
16
Meiosis: Type of cell division where one body cell produces for gametes, each
containing half the number of chromosomes in a parents body.
Nondisjunction: Failure of homologous chromosomes to separate properly
during meiosis; results in gametes with too many or too few chromosomes
Phenotype: The physical and physiological traits of an organism. These are
influenced by genetic makeup (genes) and surrounding.
Recessive gene: In a heterozygote, this allele (gene) is completely masked in
the phenotype. In genetic schemes, these genes are always depicted with a
lower case letter.
Sexual reproduction: Pattern of reproduction that involves the production of
subsequent fusion of haploid cells.
Sperm: Haploid male sex cells produced by meiosis
Trai: Characteristic that is inherited; can be either dominant or recessive
Zygote: Diploid cell formed when a sperm fertilizes an egg.
17
Module 6 - Assignment
Welcome to your Module 6 Assignment.
Please note that all your work for this assignment should be saved in one document and it
should follow the following title requirements:
Medical Secretary_ Module 6_Your Name
For this assignment you are required to research the conditions described in your Genetics
module as well as the impact of Day Surgery as opposed to Inpatient surgery on patients
and staff.
18