Types of general surgery performed:
A hernia occurs when the tissue in the abdominal wall weakens and allows the intestine or other surrounding tissue to push through. It can cause severe pain. A hernia repair procedure can correct the problem but has the best results when conducted as early as possible. The sooner the repair is conducted and the smaller the hernia, the easier the recovery period will be for the patient. General surgeons perform these repairs often, since abdominal wall hernias are extremely common.
Not every surgery is invasive, painful and difficult to recover from. Sometimes surgeries can be conducted using minimally invasive techniques. Such procedures are known as laparoscopic surgeries. What makes these procedures minimally invasive is size of the incision, which is usually between 0.5 to 1.5 centimeters. These small incisions are able to heal quicker than a large incision, making this the ideal type of surgery for patients of all ages. Typically, general surgeons will opt for laparoscopic surgery if at all possible before resorting to more invasive procedures.
Also called a cholecystectomy, gallbladder surgery is conducted to remove gallstones from the gallbladder, or the gallbladder altogether. It is conducted by general surgeons through small incisions in the abdomen. Gallbladder removal surgery is actually one of the most commonly performed general surgeries in the country.
General surgery also includes breast surgeries such as mastectomies, mammatome biopsies, sentinel node biopsies and other types of breast biopsies. Breast biopsies are very common and may occur after a woman has an abnormal mammogram or finds a lump in the breast. During this procedure, the surgeon will remove a small piece of breast tissue for testing.
When a person has an issue with their thyroid such as thyroid nodules, thyroid cancer or hyperthyroidism, thyroid surgery may be required. During this procedure, the general surgeon will remove a piece of the thyroid gland or the entire thyroid gland.
Cancer and other diseases can affect the colon, bowels and rectal areas of the body. When this happens, surgery may be required to remove the malignant tissue. General surgeons conduct rectal, colon and bowel surgeries often as a part of treatment for colorectal and intestinal cancers. These surgeries may also be necessary to treat other abdominal conditions, as well.
You may be surprised to see skin cancer surgery on this list of procedures performed by general surgeons. While a problem area or skin condition may be diagnosed by a dermatologist, he or she may then refer the patient to a general surgeon to perform the actual surgery to remove the problem area (malignant or benign.)
No matter which general surgery you or a loved one may be having, remember that Hunt Regional Medical Center is here for you every step of the way. We know how anxious or nervous you might feel before your surgery, and we’ll do everything we can to make your procedure as smooth and stress-free as possible.
