Misc

MISCELLANEOUS SURGERIES

Stomach

What is Gastrectomy?

A gastrectomy is surgery to remove part or all of the stomach. Gastrectomy is the preferred treatment for cancers of the stomach. During surgery, the tumor, nearby lymph nodes and a portion of the stomach may be removed.

Who are candidates for Gastrectomy?

Most commonly gastrectomy is performed in order to treat a bleeding ulcer or to remove non-cancerous or cancerous tumors.

What is the Gastrectomy recovery process?

Gastrectomy is performed under general anesthesia and you can expect to be in the hospital for five to seven days depending on your situation.
You will likely experience some pain and discomfort after surgery that can be treated with medication. You may also experience, heartburn and vitamin deficiencies after your surgery and your doctor will prescribe vitamin supplements and other medications.
If you have a portion of your stomach removed, you may need to alter your eating patterns to adjust to the new size of your stomach.

What are alternatives to Gastrectomy?

Alternative treatments depend on the condition being treated. For stomach ulcers, medications such as stomach acid blocking drugs may be prescribed.

Thyroid

What is the thyroid gland?

There are 3 types of glands in the body.

One type makes liquids such as sweat or saliva.
The second type, lymph glands, are part of your defences against disease. For example, if you have a sore throat, the lymph glands in the neck become swollen to fight off the infection.
The third type includes the thyroid gland. They make chemicals (hormones) that pass into the bloodstream. The thyroid gland makes the hormone thyroxine, which keeps the body working at the correct speed. Thyroxine contains iodine, which is important in the treatment of some thyroid diseases.

The thyroid gland cells also make a thick liquid called colloid. Colloid stays in the thyroid gland and does not pass into the bloodstream.
The thyroid gland is H-shaped. It lies just in front of the windpipe, called the trachea in the neck. It is about 3 inches across.
The two nerves to the vocal cords in the voice box, the larynx run up from the chest behind the thyroid. Four pea-sized parathyroid glands lie near the thyroid gland. They make a hormone, which controls the level of calcium in the blood. Calcium is well known for making bones strong. It is also important in other areas, such as making nerves work properly and keeping the lens of the eye healthy.
What has gone wrong?

The most common problem is a colloid build up that is making one or more swellings (colloid cysts) in the gland. This is the most common cause of a neck swelling, called a large goitre. There may some bleeding into a colloid cyst, making the thyroid suddenly a little larger and perhaps uncomfortable.
Tumours can arise in the thyroid, causing swellings. They are mostly single non-malignant tumours, but a few are malignant. The thyroid could be swelling because of inflammation. The most common inflammation is called Hashimoto’s disease. Here, the body is slowly attacking the thyroid tissue.
Sometimes the gland makes too much thyroxine. The body becomes overactive. This causes weight loss, increase in appetite and sweating. The heart beats too fast and can go into failure. The eyes may bulge forward and the eyelids open very wide, to give a staring gaze. If drug treatment does not control the overactive gland, an operation may be needed.
As the gland swells it may cause pressure effects such as:

Pressure on the windpipe causing shortness of breath
Pressure on the gullet causing difficulty swallowing
Pressure on the nerves to the vocal cords causing a hoarseness of the voice
It may also cause an ugly swelling in the front of your neck.

Removal of the thyroid gland (Thyroidectomy):
Removal of the thyroid gland is usually for one or more of the following reasons:

Your thyroid gland may be too large. A goitre is a common name for this.
It may have one or more swellings in it.
It may be pressing on other neck structures.
It may be overactive.