Operations

Tonsils, oval-shaped masses on both sides of the back of the throat, protect us by capturing bacteria and viruses that invade our bodies through our mouth or nose and creating antibodies to...

A colectomy is another name for a large bowel (colon or large intestine) resection, which is a surgical procedure that removes part or all of your large bowel. There are two methods of doing this...

Many men suffer from prostate problems. Some of the problems require you to have a prostatectomy, the removal of the prostate gland. The removal of the prostate can have many effects on the body....

Surgical procedures have risks and side effects that should be considered before the procedure takes place. Bladder problems after surgery can occur in men and women who have had pelvic or...

If you need a kidney transplant and there are no living donors available, a transplant hospital will place you on the national waiting list for organ transplant. Factors such as your age, blood...

In order to receive a kidney donation from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the organization responsible for collecting and distributing all deceased-donor organs throughout the United...

According to information from the medical health website Medline Plus and the Weill Cornell Medical College, hormone replacement therapy is used in individuals who have otherwise impaired levels...

Abdominal adhesions are bands of scar tissue that form between the tissues of the abdominal cavity and the organs within that cavity, causing the tissues and organs to stick together. Although the...

Scalpels can be instrumental in a variety of professions and hobbies. Surgeons use them to slice the delicate tissues of the body, while hobbyists use them to carve, etch, or dissect things....

Trying to persuade someone to make an organ donation, whether from themselves or from a loved one, can be a difficult task. However, many lives can be saved from the gift of an organ donation and...

BKA stands for below-the-knee amputation, a type of surgical procedure where a leg or foot is surgically removed due to a variety of reasons. Historically, BKA resulted in permanent disabilities....

Arthroplasty is a type of surgical procedure that replaces damaged joints. When joint damage is too severe and causes too much pain, arthroplasty is a treatment that relieves pain and restores...

There are many different types of surgeries that people have which require them to rebuild stomach muscles afterwards. It can be difficult to know exactly when it's an appropriate time to begin...

Before an abdominal ultrasound, patients are required to fast for at least eight hours before the procedure, regardless of the reason for the exam. Most people find that fasting for this short...

A fluoroscopy is a common imaging procedure used to get a good look at the inside of your body. Fluoroscopes are often used in combination with other technologies depending on which body organ or...

The Achilles tendon is the connection between the heel, and the muscles of the lower leg, which is called the calf muscles. As you well may know, the most powerful big muscle group is the leg...

Abdominal aorta aneurysms, referred to as AAA, are the most common type of aneurysms. An abdominal aorta aneurysm occurs when the large blood vessel that supplies blood to the legs, pelvis, and...

Stem cell research is on the rise, giving hope to patients and providing treatment for many diseases and disorders. While stem cell treatments are a fairly new science, they can have life-saving...

A heart transplant is a surgical procedure in which a patient's malfunctioning heart is removed and replaced with a healthy heart. Heart-transplant surgery carries serious risks to consider before...

This is a straightforward demonstration of how carbon dioxide and water react. It can also serve to show how carbon dioxide is dominantly produced in the respiratory process. You will produce a...

A hysterectomy is a major surgical procedure that can leave the abdominal wall with weak muscles. It is important to give stomach muscles their tone back and flatten the abdomen to avoid other...

Betadine Scrub is a sudsing antiseptic skin cleanser from Purdue Frederick. Veterinarians, operating personnel and animal health-care workers use it to disinfect their hands and the animal for pre...

Cold lasers are a different type of laser than a standard hot laser, which is used for tasks like precision cutting. Cold lasers are often used to heal nerve endings and cell degeneration.

For approximately 40 years, open heart surgery has relied on a large, 6- to 8-inch long incision made down the center of the breastbone. This traditional method allowed the surgeon easy access to...

Doctors may recommend the removal of the gallbladder if it contains gallstones or if the organ is not functioning properly, according to the National Institutes of Health. Traditional open...

People get pacemakers for many types of heart conditions. Some are set to work all the time, others only some of the time. Many people don't know what to expect, or how to treat the pain...

Feet are one of the most important parts of our body. After all, they allow us to travel, play and maintain a sense of balance. However, because they are constantly being used, your feet and...

While there are a wide range of operations preformed under the title of interventional radiology, there are some general instructions that are common to many of them. Interventional radiology...

Our skin offers great protection from the dangers that surround us, but nails, knives, splinters and other sharp objects can easily penetrate skin. Some cause injuries that can be tended to at...

The body's immune system saves us from infections and other ailments on a daily basis and without it we would surely succumb to even the mildest of illnesses. But it is this same immune system...

Lumbar fusion surgery is performed on people to relieve them from back pain or numbness, tingling and weakness in their extremities. The person who has a lumbar fusion may have a herniated disk,...

This How To article is about choosing the right tubal reversal surgeon. Many times women and couples are confused by the cost, hospitalization issues and pregnancy statistics after surgery.

You may need a skin graft for burns, skin cancer, breast reconstruction or any other medical condition in which a large area of skin must be removed or replaced. After the graft, both the donor...

Liver surgery is used to remove a part of the liver because of cancer. You will not be given food for two to three days after the surgery. Your diet will gradually increase to soft foods while you...

Although we often think of robotic prosthetic limbs as the work of science fiction, experiments on robotic arm implants show that the technology has viability and may soon give those with limited...

Surgical birth control options create a more permanent solution to the question of contraception. The option for surgical sterilization is available through a doctor's care only. Surgical birth...

During a cornea transplant, a surgeon removes the central portion of the cornea and replaces it with another cornea that is then sewn on with a very fine thread. Transplants are normally conducted...

When your carotid arteries become blocked by plaque, you are at risk of a stroke or an embolism--a blood clot that travels and becomes stuck in one of the small veins in the brain. These are very...

Donating bone marrow is a process that involves drawing blood stem cells directly out of the bone. Bone marrow itself is a system of cells that forms tissue used to create blood cells. Donating...

A laminectomy is an operation to remove part (partial laminectomy, also sometimes known as a laminotomy) or all (full laminectomy) of a segment of bone called the lamina, which covers some nerves...

A simple mastectomy, also referred to as a total mastectomy, entails the removal of the entire breast including the breast tissue, skin, nipple and areola. The lymph nodes and the bulk of the...

Cyclosporin is an immunosuppressive drug first discovered in 1972 and approved for use in the U.S. in 1983 under the brand name Sandimmune. The drug is given to patients in post-allogenic...

When a patient experiences cardiorespiratory arrest in a hospital setting, it is up to the health care professionals within the building to resuscitate the patient with the correct technique. The...

Cloning is the copying of a living organism, producing a separate genetic replica. While scientists have been interested in cloning since at least the early 1950s, the risks associated with this...

If you are a patient who has just been told that you are going to need an organ transplant, you need not feel scared. Medical advances and the use of technology have made organ transplantation...

Shoulder surgery may be the solution to pain in a shoulder. But if it is not paired with a strict regime of exercise to strengthen the muscles, you can end up with stiff joints as well as a...

The prostate gland, found in the male reproductive system, releases prostate-specific antigen (PSA), is a part of seminal fluid (semen) which carries sperm. BPH or benign prostatic hyperplasia is...

There are many different types of spinal surgery, as the spine is long. Depending on what your spinal condition is, you can have surgery on anywhere from the base of your neck to your tailbone....

Although men can undergo vasectomies when they're young, most who have them do so at an age where they don't want any more children. A vasectomy is not considered major surgery, and very rarely...

Surgeons frequently use surgical steel staples to close segments of the bowels during procedures involving partial removal of the small or large intestine. A clamp-like instrument closes down...