Operations

The Whipple Surgery, also called pancreaticoduodenectomy, was first performed in the 1930s by Allen Oldfather Whipple. It is the most commonly performed operation to treat pancreatic cancer.

Shoulder surgery is a common method of alleviating pain and repairing the structure of the shoulder. While there are several types of shoulder surgeries, three of the most common are total...

An artificial heart is a medical device designed to replace the two lower chambers of a patient's heart. Artificial heart transplant offers many benefits for patients suffering from heart failure,...

If you're facing the possibility of surgery to remove your gallbladder, known in medical circles as a cholecystectomy, you'll no doubt be happy to know that laparoscopic surgical techniques have...

Conditions such as arthritis produce pain in the joints of the body. The shoulder is one joint that may be affected by this type of condition. A partial shoulder replacement may be considered as...

Heel spurs and severe plantar fasciitis can be painful and debilitating. But surgeries to correct these conditions are routine and highly successful. Podiatrists and surgeons even have their...

With the advancements in technology, it is apparent that more people than ever are benefiting from transplants. Your treatment does not just end when you leave the hospital after the operation....

Those who suffer from chronic lower back pain may find relief in spinal disk replacement, according to the Mayo Clinic. However, recovery from this surgery requires patience and common sense. In...

Hip resurfacing differs from a total hip replacement in that no parts of the knee joint are replaced. Instead, a tool is used to reshape the joint and metal prostheses are added to allow the hip...

A "crushed disc" occurs when pressure is applied to the pads separating the bones in the spinal column. Crushed discs can result in nerve damage and extreme back pain. In young patients, crushed...

Stents are small mesh tubes used to treat narrowing or weakened arteries. The procedure is called angioplasty. A successful angioplasty can restore blood flow to blocked arteries. There are a...

Following a vasectomy, men need a few days of rest for recuperation. The physician sends the patient home with a list of instructions to follow for a full vasectomy recovery.

It's important to maintain a healthy diet after any surgery, especially an organ transplant, such as a kidney transplant. Wounds need proper nutrition to help them heal, and the side effects of...

A surgical abortion is a medical procedure used to end a pregnancy by emptying a woman's uterus of a developing baby. There are different methods used to do this, depending on the stage of pregnancy.

The human eye is an extremely delicate organ. Following an injury of the eye, special precautions must be taken to ensure that there is no permanent damage to your vision. If you have suffered a...

Approximately 10% of all back injuries result in surgery, according to the Mayo Clinic. Patients who will undergo disc surgery need to prepare their home and plan to adapt their lifestyle for a...

The toxins your body is exposed to not only make you sick but they also make you fat. They do this by interfering with your metabolism. Researchers point out that metabolism does not function...

Paying for their child's needed hip or foot surgery can be worrisome for low-income parents, adding stress to an already stressful situation. However, financial help is available to pay some or...

The vasectomy is the safest and effective form of birth control, according to the Family Doctor. With a vasectomy the tubes that carry a man's sperm, called the vas deferens, is sealed to prevent...

The possibility of a vasectomy reversing itself (called "recanalization") is real, but it is quite rare. According to Harvard Medical School, it occurs in 1 out of 4,000 patients. Here is how it...

Urinary catheters are tube systems that drain and collect urine from the bladder. Some people need urinary catheters because they have urinary incontinence which is the lack of control to hold...

According to the Mayo Clinic, a pancreatic cyst is an unnatural pocket of fluid that develops within the pancreas. While many cysts in the pancreas produce no symptoms at all, where symptoms do...

A surgical site infection (SSI) occurs when germs or bacteria enter an incision area during operations and surgical procedures. SSI prevention is of the utmost importance to surgeons. While its...

Vascular arterial disease contributes heavily to the leading cause of death in the world, cardiovascular disease, a condition that claims more than 17 million lives annually. A tiny balloon and...

Though we know that smoking is bad for your health, it also raises your risk of complications during surgery. Quitting smoking is a difficult proposition, but knowing your risks before a procedure...

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...