General Surgery

Arthroscopic Surgery

A minimally invasive orthopedic procedure, arthroscopy is used to diagnose and treat joint problems. 

An arthroscope, along with specialized surgical tools, is used to access a joint through tiny “keyhole” incisions using a narrow scope. 

Recovery times are typically shorter with arthroscopic surgery because smaller incisions are required.

As an alternative to traditional procedures, arthroscopy is becoming increasingly popular, but may not be appropriate in every case.

Breast Surgery

An operation on the breast(s) of a female or a male is called breast surgery. 

This type of surgery can take different forms. 

There are some procedures that are performed for medical reasons such as cancer and others for cosmetic reasons (plastic surgery).

In addition to breast cancer and non-cancerous breast lumps, back pain can also be treated through breast reduction surgery. 

Additionally, cosmetic reasons exist, such as a desire to have a different breast size, appearance, or shape.

Before any medical or cosmetic procedure, you will have a consultation with your surgeon. 

A doctor will need to learn about your situation and determine whether you’re a good candidate for the surgery.

Depending on the type of breast surgery, the length of the procedure may vary. 

For example, a lumpectomy can take one to two hours. 

Breast reduction surgeries, on the other hand, can take three to five hours.

Carpal Tunnel Surgery

Carpal tunnel syndrome can be treated and possibly healed with a surgery called carpal tunnel release. 

Carpal tunnel syndrome was once believed to be caused by overuse injuries or repetitive motions performed by the wrist or hand, often at work. 

It’s most likely a congenital predisposition (something that runs in families) – some people have smaller carpal tunnels than others. 

A sprain or fracture can also cause carpal tunnel syndrome, as can repetitive use of a vibrating tool. 

Also, it has been linked to rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and thyroid disorders.

Carpal tunnel is a narrow passageway in the wrist where the median nerve and tendons that move your fingers travel. 

Located on the inside of the wrist, the carpal tunnel is formed by the transverse carpal ligament and the wrist bones on the bottom. 

When the tissues within the tunnel are swollen due to injury or tightness, the median nerve is pressed. 

If left untreated, it results in numbness and tingling in the hand, pain, and loss of function. 

The symptoms usually begin slowly, but may get worse over time. 

They are usually worse on the thumb side of the hand.

In a carpal tunnel release, a surgeon cuts through the ligament that is pressing down on the carpal tunnel. 

It usually reduces pain and improves function by making more room for the median nerve and tendons to pass through the tunnel.

Carpal tunnel surgery recovery can take several weeks to several months. 

Recovery may be even more difficult if the nerve has been compressed for a long time. 

Splinting your wrist and receiving physical therapy to strengthen and heal the hand and wrist are part of the recovery process.

A carpal tunnel release is usually an outpatient procedure, which means that if it goes well, you can go home the same day.

Eye Surgery

A variety of conditions can be treated with eye surgery, including cataracts, glaucoma, detached retinas, retinal tears, diabetic retinopathy, and nearsightedness or farsightedness.

Blepharoplasty

During droopy eyelid surgery, the doctor makes a small incision to remove skin and muscle and to reposition fat.

Cataract Surgery

Cataracts are cloudy areas on the lens of your eye that can make it difficult to see clearly. Using tiny tools, the doctor removes the cloudy lens and replaces it with an artificial one.

Corneal Transplant

A special tool is used to keep your eye open while the doctor removes the damaged part of your cornea and replaces it with healthy donor tissue. 

It is possible to perform a full thickness corneal transplant (penetrating keratoplasty) or a partial thickness transplant (lamellar keratoplasty).

Glaucoma Surgeries

For glaucoma implants, the doctor inserts a tiny tube called a shunt into the white of your eye. The shunt allows extra fluid to drain out of your eye, lowering your eye pressure. 

In a trabeculectomy, your doctor cuts a small opening in the top of your eye, under your eyelid, so that extra fluid can drain.

LASIK

A laser eye surgery changes the shape of the cornea with a powerful beam of light (laser), improving vision for adults with nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism. 

PRK, or photorefractive keratectomy, is an alternative to LASIK for patients with dry eyes or thin corneas.

Retina Surgeries

Several methods for repairing a damaged or detached retina exist, some of which may be combined. 

A freeze probe may be used to create small scars that will help heal a tear or hole in your retina and hold your retina in place. 

Over time, the scar will disappear on its own. 

The surgeon uses a suction tool to remove most of the vitreous (the gel-like substance that fills the eye), allowing him to better access the retina and place the bubble.

Eye Muscle Surgery

Strabismus is a condition in which the eyes don’t move together as a pair; one eye may drift in, out, up, or down. 

Although surgery isn’t the only treatment option, when it’s necessary, a surgeon will weaken or strengthen the eye muscles in order to restore proper function. 

A section of muscle could be removed or a muscle could be reattached to a new location in the eye.

General Surgery

Surgeons who practice general surgery are highly skilled surgeons who typically treat common abdominal complaints, such as appendicitis, hernias, gallbladder surgeries, stomach problems, and intestinal problems. 

While general surgeons tend to focus on the abdomen, they may specialize in a type of surgery, such as cancer treatment or burn treatment, that requires them to be able to perform procedures on various areas of the body.

Many types of surgery are practiced by general surgeons, and the broad nature of their education allows them to perform a wide variety of procedures in the course of their jobs. 

Some doctors choose to specialize, but others practice a wide variety of procedures.

Hand Surgery

Hand surgery is a broad term that encompasses a wide range of procedures. 

Plastic surgeons who perform hand surgery seek to restore finger and hand function. 

However, hand surgeons also attempt to make the hand look as normal as possible.

Hand nerves can be damaged by injury.

Loss of hand function and numbness can result from this condition. 

Nerve injuries can sometimes heal without surgery. 

In other cases, surgery may be necessary. 

The surgery usually takes place 3 to 6 weeks after the injury. 

Nerve repairs linked to more complex injuries may be performed at this time.

Generally, surgery to check the damage to a nerve soon after an injury is done when nerve damage isn’t associated with more complicated injuries. 

Surgery increases the chances of a full recovery. 

When a nerve is cut or severed, it may be repaired by reattaching it to the other end of the nerve. 

Another option is to perform a nerve graft. A nerve from another area of the body is used to replace the damaged one.

Skin Graft

Skin grafts for the hand are used to replace or attach skin to a part of the hand that is missing. 

Usually, this surgery is done for fingertip amputations or injuries. 

When a skin graft is performed, a piece of healthy skin is taken from another part of the body, called the donor site, and attached to the injured area.

Skin Flap

A skin flap for the hand involves taking skin from another part of the body, much like a skin graft. 

This procedure, however, uses skin that has its own blood supply. 

Due to the presence of blood vessels, fat, and muscles beneath the section of skin that is used. 

Flaps can be used when there is no blood supply to an area that is missing skin. 

This may be the result of the location, damage to the vessels, or extensive tissue damage.

Tendon Injuries

Tendons are the fibers that connect muscles to bones. 

Because of the structure of the tendon, tendon repair in the hand is a difficult surgery. 

Various factors can cause a tendon to rupture, including infections and trauma. 

Tendon repairs can be classified as primary, delayed primary, or secondary.

Fasciotomy

Your doctor will make an incision or cut in your hand or arm during a fasciotomy. 

As a result, the pressure decreases, the muscle tissue swells, and the blood flow is restored. 

At this point, any damaged tissue inside the area can be removed. 

By performing this procedure, you can prevent any further damage and loss of function to the affected hand.

Hand Infection

Infections of the hands are very common. Hand infections can be treated with rest, heat, elevation, antibiotics, and surgery. 

Surgical drainage may be required to remove pus from a sore or abscess in the hand. 

In severe cases of infection or wound, debridement may be used to remove dead and contaminated tissue from the wound. 

Debridement helps promote healing and prevent further infection.

Laparoscopy

Laparoscopy is a type of surgery that allows surgeons to examine the inside of the abdomen (tummy) and pelvis without having to make large incisions in the skin.

Laparoscopy does not require large incisions since the surgeon uses a small instrument known as a laparoscope.

A tube with a light source and a camera transmits images of the inside of the abdomen or pelvis to a television monitor.

An abdominal or pelvic laparoscopy is useful in diagnosing a wide range of conditions. 

The tool can also be used to carry out surgical procedures, such as removing a damaged or diseased organ, or removing a tissue sample for further testing (biopsy).

Laparoscopy is performed under general anesthesia, so there is no pain associated with it.

Plastic Surgery

There are times when we will be left with fat deposits and skin that no amount of exercise or dieting can remove, whether it is due to aging, weight loss, or even pregnancy. 

Our surgeons can help you achieve your aesthetic goals with liposuction, tummy tucks, or skin removal.

Liposuction

By removing excess fat deposits and improving your body contours and proportion, liposuction, sometimes called “lipo” by patients, slims and reshapes specific areas of the body.

Liposuction can be performed alone or in conjunction with other plastic surgery procedures, such as a facelift, breast reduction, or tummy tuck.

Cellulite, or the dimpled, saggy skin that typically appears on the thighs, hips, and buttocks, cannot be treated with this method.

Tummy Tucking

An abdominoplasty, also known as a tummy tuck, is a cosmetic surgical procedure that improves the appearance of the abdomen.

An abdominal tummy tuck eliminates excess skin and fat. 

Additionally, sutures are used to tighten connective tissue in the abdomen (fascia). 

The remaining skin is then repositioned to create a more toned appearance.

When your belly button is surrounded by excess fat or skin, or if your lower abdominal wall is weak, a tummy tuck may be right for you. 

A tummy tuck can also improve your body image.

Skin Removal Surgery

Excess skin can be removed through various plastic (cosmetic) surgery procedures. Plastic surgery can reshape your body. 

If you lose a lot of weight (typically over 100 pounds), you may need body contouring.

Bariatric (weight loss) surgery or diet and exercise may help obese people lose weight. 

Significant weight loss can result in excess, sagging skin.

Extra weight causes skin and tissue to stretch to accommodate the larger size of the body. 

Stretching causes the skin and tissues to lose their elasticity. 

The stretched skin can’t conform to your new shape and may hang loosely from your body when you lose weight.

Depending on the procedures, you may need to stay overnight in a hospital after surgery. 

Alternatively, the procedure may be performed at a surgical facility, and you’ll go home the same day.

General Surgery Frequently Asked Questions

An arthroscopy is a surgical procedure doctors use to examine, diagnose, and treat problems inside a joint. 

It’s a minor surgery that is performed on an outpatient basis, which means you can go home the same day.

Arthroscopy (ahr-THROS-kuh-pee) is a procedure used to diagnose and treat joint problems. 

Through a small incision – about the size of a buttonhole – the surgeon inserts a narrow tube attached to a fiber-optic video camera. 

High-definition video monitors display the view inside your joint.

There are three general types of cosmetic surgery performed on the breasts (also known as mammoplasty): breast augmentation, breast reduction, and breast reconstruction.

Breast augmentation surgery is a common but major procedure with significant risks and potential complications. 

Less invasive options are available to enhance breast size or shape.

Among the refractive surgeries performed on aging patients, cataract surgery is the most common.

Types of ophthalmic surgeries include:

  • Retinal Surgery
  • Corneal Surgery
  • LASIK surgery
  • Surgeries For Glaucoma