Ace OP

Posts Tagged ‘Surgery’

Product Description
Pick this patient’s brains by becoming a brain surgeon. Reach into his head and try to find three crazy things that are on his mind. Be gentle and quick. Hurry and pick while the timer still ticks. If you’re too rough or you take too long, his nose lights up and you lose your turn. Game includes electronic talking head, eight plastic “funatomy” objects, twelve picture cards, label sheet and instructions. For 1 to 4 players. Requires 3 “AA” alkaline batteries (not in… More >>

Operation: Brain Surgery Game

Due to the change in the lifestyle and eating habits especially in the developed western countries, the incidence of diverticulitis has increased in alarming rates which a cause for worry to the doctors and the nations as a whole. While diagnosing diverticular disease, the doctor usually asks about the medical history of the patient, does a physical exam, and may perform one or more diagnostic tests. Since most people do not have symptoms, diverticulosis is often found through tests that were advised for some other ailments.

Diverticulum is usually an acquired or congenital disease, and they affect either the small intestine or the large intestine. Acquired diverticula is a more common and general phenomenon and may consist of herniation of the mucosa and submucosa through the muscularis, usually at the site where a nutrient artery is present. While congenital diverticula consists of outpouchings of the entire thickness of the intestinal walls.

Diagnosis of diverculitis should done by an experienced surgeon or doctor as often the symptoms of the disease go unnoticed. For physical examination of the patient, doctors usually perform a digital rectal examination. In order to perform the digital rectal test, the doctors insert a gloved, lubricated finger into the rectum in order to detect any tenderness, blockage or blood. The routine examination of the stool may also be performed to check for blood or for signs of infection. The surgeon may also advise X-rays of the abdomen or other tests to determine the disease.

Treatment of the disease may be long and may consist of administration of drugs and eating of balanced and wholesome food to counter the imbalance caused by the disease. At the first instance, antibiotics are prescribed and if it is seen that the antibiotics have failed to do its task and the patient has not recovered, then a diverticulitis surgery may be required. There may also be some other reasons for performing emergency surgery. These reasons include continued and uncontrollable bleeding of the intestines, presence of a large abscess, perforation and peritonitis.

Usually in emergency surgery two operations are performed. The first operation is performed to clear the entire infected abdominal cavity and remove parts of the colon. At this time it is not safe to rejoin the colon as there may be chances of infection and obstruction of the same during the first operation. A temporary hole or stoma as it is medically termed is created by the surgeon during this operation. The colon is then connected to the hole, a procedure known as the ‘Colostomy’ to allow normal eating and bowel movement. The entire stool that is formed goes and collects itself into a bag that is attached to the opening in the abdomen. During the second operation, the surgeon rejoins the ends of the colon.

Once you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, usually treatment starts first with surgery. There are generally two components to the operation: 1) the breast, and 2) the axilla (armpit).

In the breast, there are two choices: 1) lumpectomy (removing the cancer lump and some surrounding tissue), or 2) mastectomy (removing the entire breast). Just a quarter of a century ago, almost all patients had mastectomy, even if their breast cancer is small. But over the past few decades, it has been demonstrated that for small cancers, lumpectomy followed by radiation treatment is just as good as mastectomy. Now, “small” is a relative term. The goal of a lumpectomy is that the breast would still look like a breast after all the treatment is done. In someone with small breasts, a “small” cancer may occupy a significant portion of her breast. An adequate lumpectomy in this case may result in an unacceptable cosmetic outcome, and the patient may actually prefer having mastectomy with plastic surgery reconstruction. Another factor is the number of cancers in the breast. Usually, mastectomy is required for multifocal cancer (cancer discovered in two or more locations in the same breast)

At the same time as the breast operation, surgery in the axilla also is carried out for invasive (or infiltrating) breast cancer, as well as in selected cases of DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ). This is done to determine whether the breast cancer has spread to the lymph nodes in the axilla. In general, there are two choices: 1) sentinel node resection, or 2) axillary node dissection. In sentinel node resection, the surgeon maps the lymphatic drainage of the breast cancer to the first lymph node that receives this lymph, i.e. the sentinel node(s). Only a few (1-3) nodes are then usually removed. In axillary node dissection, more lymph nodes are resected, usually 8-25. Sentinel node resection is a good choice for small early cancer that is unlikely to have spread to the axilla. When the suspicion for cancer already in lymph nodes is high, then full axillary node dissection should be performed.

The above are only general guidelines. No two breast cancer patients are exactly alike, and therefore the decision making process is different and unique for each individual person. Regardless of any one else’s advice, you should make the choice that you personally will be able to live with for the rest of your life.