Introduction Solid organ transplantation is a lifesaving and life-enhancing treatment for many patients with organ failure. For many patients with end-stage renal failure (ESRF), kidney transplantation improves quality of life (QOL) and confers survival benefits ( EBM 26.1 ). Liver,…
Introduction The scope of neurosurgical operations continues to evolve with advances in such domains as imaging, anaesthesia, instrumentation, microsurgery, endoscopy and frameless image guidance, all of which contribute to reduced operative mortality and morbidity. There are many areas of continuing…
Assessment General points Patients may present with symptoms clearly related to the urinary tract, but seemingly unrelated symptoms may also be due to a urologic cause, such as backache from metastatic prostatic carcinoma, fever of unknown origin from renal carcinoma,…
Introduction Cardiothoracic surgery is one of the newer surgical specialities that has undergone massive expansion and subspecialisation in the last few years. Although these could be considered two distinct specialities, cardiac and thoracic surgery remain closely related with common pathologies…
Introduction Vascular surgery is a subspecialty of surgery dedicated to diseases and disorders of the circulation. It is delivered by a multidisciplinary team of vascular surgeons, interventional radiologists, anaesthetists, physicians (angiologists), nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists. Despite a reduction in…
Introduction In surgical endocrine disease, thyroid disorders are common, adrenal disease is uncommon and parathyroid disease is rare. Thyroid gland Surgical anatomy and development The thyroid gland develops from the thyroglossal duct, which grows downwards from the pharynx through the…
Anatomy and physiology of the breast The breast is a modified sweat gland made up of glandular tissue, fibrous supporting tissue and fat. Its purpose is to produce milk, but it also has a significant role in female sexual and…
Introduction Reconstructive plastic surgery, as opposed to cosmetic surgery, is concerned with the restoration of form and function following trauma, ablative surgery, necrotising infection or congenital anomaly. The various techniques by which this is achieved are applicable throughout the body,…
Introduction Anorectal complaints are extremely common; 2% to 3% of the population has anorectal symptoms at any given time. Pain, bleeding, discharge, itching and the presence of a lump are common presenting symptoms. Symptoms are often ignored, attributed to ‘haemorrhoids’…
Introduction Any individual can reasonably expect to suffer infrequent gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. Most disorders are self-limiting, benign conditions, but serious pathology can have enigmatic symptoms or none until a late stage in the natural history of the disease. Infective diarrhoea…