What is general surgery?
Despite its name, general surgery typically refers to surgery on abdominal organs rather than other areas of the body. This specialty focuses on the intestines, including esophagus, stomach, small bowel, colon, liver, pancreas, gallbladder and bile duct, thyroid glands, hernias and sometimes diseases of the skin and breast.What is a general surgeon and what do they do?
With the trend for physicians and surgeons to develop a specialty through additional medical training, general surgery has lost much of its former scope. However, it continues to be a competitive field with many subspecialties that continue to increase, including trauma surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, vascular surgery, plastic surgery, laparoscopic
(minimally invasive) surgery, breast surgery (including lumpectomy
), endocrine (thyroid) surgery and dermatological (skin) surgery.Where do general surgeons work?
General surgeons perform surgery in hospital operating rooms. They may also work out of a clinic to consult with potential patients, current patients, or follow up with patients post-surgery. They may work in surgery centers performing outpatient surgeries. General surgeons are also on call for the emergency room (ER) for patients with emergent surgical problems. General surgeons are on call to the ER along with other specialists, including those in neurosurgery, cardiology, urology and more. For example, a general surgeon will be called by the ER for consultation when a patient is diagnosed with problems, such as (but not limited to) appendicitis, bowel obstruction or cholecystitis. The general surgeon will then admit the patient to the hospital and arrange for the operating room. What are the most common conditions general surgeons treat?
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- Appendicitis - A surgical emergency involving an infected and inflamed appendix. Current literature supports surgical removal due to risk of rupture and its associated complications.
- Adhesions – Internal scar tissue that creates strands, usually throughout the abdomen, which can entangle loops of bowel and lead to obstruction. They are often the result of a previous surgical procedure or intra-abdominal infection.
- Cancer – General surgeons perform surgery on many types of cancer, including breast, skin, colorectal and gastrointestinal cancers.
- Colon cancer – Cancer of the colon or rectum occurs when intestinal cells mutate to create a tumor. These tumors can spread throughout the body.
- Diaphragmatic hernia – A congenital condition in which there is an abnormal opening in the diaphragm, allowing abdominal organs to translocate into the chest cavity, causing breathing difficulty.
- Gallbladder problem – Gallbladder problems sometimes stem from gallstones if they block the flow of bile out of the gallbladder. Sometimes, even without gallstones, the gallbladder can become infected, resulting in abdominal pain, vomiting, indigestion and fever. Depending on the nature of the gallbladder problem, either conservative treatment with pain medications or surgical removal of the gallbladder will be employed by your physician.
- Hernia – A protrusion of an organ through the muscular or fascial wall within which it is normally contained.
- Hiatal hernia – A protrusion of all or part of the stomach into the chest cavity via a defect in the muscles called the “crus of the diaphragm,” which usually keep it contained with the abdomen.
- Inflammatory bowel diseases – A group of inflammatory conditions of the gastrointestinal system, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
- Inguinal hernia – A protrusion of organs in the lower abdominal cavity through the inguinal canal in the groin.
- Intestinal hernia – A protrusion of the intestines through the abdominal wall.
- Intestinal obstruction – A partial or complete blockage of the bowel.
- Pyloric stenosis – A condition that causes projectile vomiting in infants during the first months of life due to a narrowing of the opening from the stomach to the intestines. Pyloric stenosis occurs in adults due to a narrowed pyloris.