General Surgery
General surgery is a medical specialty that necessitates its practitioners have a broad knowledge of many conditions and the effects they may have on the body. General surgeons are well equipped to diagnose and treat a wide variety of ailments. They receive extensive training after medical school, with hands-on residencies that give general surgeons practical, in-depth experience working on the digestive system, skin, breasts, organs of the abdomen and more. Medical education is a career-long endeavor for general surgeons as they continually expand their expertise and abilities by keeping up with the latest advances in the field.
Laparoscopic Surgery
Whenever possible, general surgeons employ the most minimally invasive techniques available, such as laparoscopy. This is a surgical procedure used to diagnose and treat problems without making a major incision into the body. During this procedure, an endoscope (tube) with a camera on the end is inserted through a tiny incision to allow the doctor to closely examine the organs of the area.
Surgical instruments can be inserted through additional incisions to treat any identified problems. The length of procedures and the recovery time afterward are considerably shorter than with traditional surgery.
Some of the areas of general surgery are:
Laparoscopic Hernia Repair
Pushes tissue that is protruding through an opening in the abdominal wall back into the abdominal cavity and strengthen the weakened or torn muscle that allowed it to pass through.
Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy
Removes the gallbladder when gallstones have been causing pain and gastrointestinal distress.
Hemorrhoidectomy
Removes swollen hemorrhoid tissue using a scalpel, cautery device or laser.
Excision of Masses
Surgical removal of either benign or malignant tumors. If a mass is cancerous, the tumor is removed along with a margin of surrounding tissue to maximize the chances of eradicating all abnormal cells and preventing recurrence.