surgery Archives

The importance of image viewing conditions for timing and precision in minimally invasive surgery

Written by

Minimally invasive medical procedures such as laparoscopic surgery are challenging because they involve navigating the instruments in use via image views from tiny cameras attached to them. Surgeons need to interpret visual information correctly to guide their instruments with precision. Understanding how the brain adapts to these procedures will help improve fine surgical skills. Dr Birgitta Dresp-Langley, Research Director at […]

The BEST lines for skin surgery: A new paradigm

Written by

To minimise scarring, skin surgeons are guided by Langer lines and wrinkle lines, first identified over a century ago. Although based on limited data from cadavers, these historical studies have steered skin surgery for both incisions and excisions until recently. In a groundbreaking, first-of-its-kind study, Dr Sharad Paul at the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand uses real-time skin […]

Establishing the first set of guidelines for breast cancer management in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Written by

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. Specialised centres that monitor breast cancer patients can help improve disease outcomes by recording patient information and by helping to implement centralised guidelines for disease management. In Bosnia and Herzegovina there is no accurate data on breast cancer patients, nor any centralised guidelines. Dr Lejla Hadžikadić-Gušić, a breast surgical oncologist, […]

Ending the debate: Routine or selective cholangiography during gallstone surgery?

Written by

Dr Gabriel Sandblom investigates the varying local traditions for intraoperative cholangiography (IOC) during gallstone surgery

Symptomatic gallstones are common in the Western world and treatment of choice is surgical removal of the gallbladder (cholecystectomy). During surgery, an x-ray procedure called intraoperative cholangiography (IOC) gives the surgeon information on the anatomy and whether gallstones have migrated from the gallbladder to the deep bile ducts. The procedure helps avoid certain surgical complications and prevent problems from retained […]

Should pre-anaesthesia consultations be done telephonically?

Written by

Dr Sibylle Kietaibl is advocating for patient-centred decision-making around blood management, suggesting that pre-anaesthesia consultations could happen virtually.

Anaesthesiologists play a crucial role in preparing a patient ahead of surgery, and not just physically. Pre-anaesthesia consultations are an opportunity to engage with patients, involve them in important choices, and consider these when making diagnostic, therapeutic, or palliative care decisions. Dr Sibylle Kietaibl at the Evangelical Hospital Vienna in Austria suggests such consultations should also consider patient preferences around […]

Making strides in veterinary pathology: A dedicated career

Written by

Mast cell tumours and pancreatic diseases are common in dogs but also present to a lesser degree in other veterinary species, including cats and horses. For these and many other diseases of veterinary species, diagnostic methods and criteria were not well characterised and made determination of prognosis difficult. Changing this, with decades of research into the pathology of veterinary diseases, […]

Reducing treatment costs for thyroid cancer patients in Japan

Written by

Japan’s healthcare system disincentivises longer hospital stays to reduce costs, but also categorises certain complications as secondary diseases, which incur separate additional payments. The high rate of occurrence of these complications makes these costs unavoidable. Hiroki Konno, Associate Professor at the College of Sports Sciences at Nihon University, Japan, studied the implications of this for four prognostic factors affecting thyroid […]

New possibilities: Same-day surgery for trochlear dysplasia

Written by

Trochleoplasty is an open procedure performed on patients with patellar instability and/or chronic anterior knee pain, in patient having a flat groove (trochlear dysplasia). Though this is a widespread treatment for recurrent patella instability, open trochleoplasty is a highly invasive procedure and leads to an increased risk of infection, scar tissue, and pain. Dr Lars Blønd of The Zealand University […]

A paradigm shift for fluid management in surgery

Written by

Advances in modern surgery have been dependent upon advances in anaesthetic management. However, anaesthesia can have detrimental effects, as it is usually associated with reduced blood pressure, cardiac output and oxygen delivery. To counteract these changes, large quantities of intravenous fluids have been administered both during and often for many hours post-surgery. This was in an attempt to maintain blood […]

A measure to predict critical errors in open emergency surgery

Written by

Medical errors are a leading cause of worldwide deaths. Surgeons are sometimes required to carry out procedures that they do not perform frequently, which leads to surgical errors that can have severe consequences for patients. To confront this issue, Professor Colin Mackenzie, Emeritus Professor at the University of Maryland, School of Medicine, developed with his team, the Trauma Readiness Index […]