Overview

The specialized general surgeon examines patients with breast lumps and can screen patients without symptoms. The surgeon has the skills and knowledge to direct the patient for observation, further testing, or biopsy. The breast surgeon has the expertise in surgery for benign conditions such as fibrocystic disease of the breast and in surgery for breast cancer.

The goal of bariatric and metabolic surgery is to help patients achieve significant and sustainable weight loss and resolve or improve obesity-related medical problems. It is called metabolic surgery because rapid and impressive weight loss that results from these operations can resolve or improve metabolic diseases such as type II diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and fatty liver.

To know more visit our Bariatric Surgery Specialty Clinic 

The diseases we treat are sometimes common such as acute appendicitis or gall bladder stones, or less common such as an intestinal blockage. We treat infections and inflammation of the internal organs such as pancreatitis, gastric ulcers, diverticulitis of the colon, inflammatory bowel disease, and hydatid cysts. We also manage diseases of the anus and rectum such as hemorrhoids, anal fissures, fistula-in-ano, and abscesses that develop around the anal opening. The general surgeon manages some conditions that affect the function of the GI tract, and these do not always require surgery such as poor emptying of the stomach, acid reflux disease, Achalasia of the esophagus that causes difficulty swallowing.

The most common problems we treat are abdominal wall hernias that can develop in the groin(inguinal), belly button (para-umbilical), or at the site of previous surgery (incisional) as well as other sites. Repairing the hernias can be done through the classical open surgical approach or through small incisions called laparoscopic surgery.

Patients often present because of a lump or discoloration in or under the skin. The general surgeon will assess the lesion and decide if it should be removed surgically, left to be observed, or biopsied. Occasionally such lesions can be cancerous and should be referred to a surgical oncologist. Examples of such cancers include malignant melanoma and sarcoma.

This refers to surgery for organs that produce hormones such as the thyroid gland in the neck and the adrenal gland above the kidney. The parathyroid glands also located in the neck sometimes require surgery when there is an elevation of calcium levels in the blood. Endocrine surgery requires experience in the field and a good knowledge of the functions of the endocrine system and the treatment decision are often taken jointly with an endocrinologist.

The general surgeon is always ready to treat patients with serious and life-threatening emergencies such as bleeding from the spleen or liver after a traumatic injury. We also treat serious infections such as perforated appendicitis, perforated ulcer, bowel, and rectal abscesses among others.