Introduction Peptic ulcer disease affects the oesophagus, stomach and duodenum. The conditions share the symptom of epigastric pain and the common aetiology of mucosal inflammation associated with gastric acid–pepsin secretions. The most important aetiological factor in gastric and duodenal ulcer…
Introduction Gallstones and related disorders account for all but a small proportion of biliary tract disease in most countries. Gallstone disease is also known as cholelithiasis and choledocholithiasis is when stones are present in the bile ducts. Most gallstone-related disease…
Introduction The term acute abdomen is widely understood but is difficult to define precisely. Typically, the symptoms are of acute onset abdominal pain. The illness is of such severity that admission to hospital appears essential and operative surgery is a…
Introduction Diagnosis of nonacute abdominal complaints is an important part of the general surgical clinic workload and most patients with abdominal complaints can be managed as outpatients alone. Diagnoses made in a clinic are often quite different from those in…
Soft Tissue Injuries Soft tissue injuries are common, and timely, up-to-date management gives the best outcomes. Traumatic soft tissue injuries include cuts, lacerations, crushing injuries, missile injuries and impalements not involving bone or body cavities. Other causes of injury include…
Head Injuries Introduction Head injury with traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the most common cause of death and disability in people aged 1 to 40 years in the United Kingdom. Head injuries cause about 3500 deaths each year in the…
Injury Epidemiology Injury is one of the major causes of death and disability in the world. The World Health Organization defines injury as physical damage that results when a human body is subjected to levels of energy that exceed tissue…
Introduction Organ transplantation is the optimal treatment for end-stage organ failure and has the potential to both improve the quality of life and prolong life. It can now be considered for patients with kidney, liver, heart, lung and intestinal failure,…
Introduction Cancer patients make up a rising proportion of surgical cases and comprise about a third of surgical bed occupancy. Defining and ensuring optimal treatment for individual patients should be a true multidisciplinary effort involving surgeons, oncologists, pathologists, radiologists, specialist…
Introduction Any operation, major trauma or other surgical admission may be attended by complications, many of which are potentially preventable. Some complications are somewhat inherent to the condition being treated (e.g., deep venous thrombosis [DVT] following lower limb fractures) or…