Friday, November 29, 2013

Laparoscopic Surgery Treatment for Paraesophgeal Hernia

Minimally invasive surgical techniques have revolutionized the treatment par esophageal hernia—but there's continued controversy over some key technical aspects of the procedure. Five nationally recognized leaders in fore gut surgery "systematically and point-by-point" outline their approach to this effective but technically challenging procedure. The special feature section provides "a fascinating picture in which all authors agree that the basic principles of the operation should be respected," according to an introductory article by Dr. Sanjay Kolte. " 

Paraesophgeal hernia is a common condition in which part of the stomach becomes herniated through the diaphragm and into the chest—higher than the junction between the esophagus and stomach. In addition to stomachache and difficulty swallowing, patients may experience chest pain, especially after meals, and shortness of breath. When other treatments can't relieve symptoms, surgery is recommended.

In the past, surgery was performed through an open incision in the abdomen or chest. But over the past decade, minimally invasive laparoscopic approaches have revolutionized the treatment of Paraesophgeal hernia.
Laparoscopic surgery provides excellent results with a low rate of recurrent hernia, less pain, and faster recovery.

But the laparoscopic procedure is technically challenging, with a "long learning curve" for surgeons, and is best performed by experienced specialists at referral medical centers. And even among the experts, there is ongoing debate regarding key areas of surgical technique.

Friday, November 22, 2013

Cancer Treatment - Cancer Surgeon in Pune, Maharashtra

Cancer, broadly called as malignancy, is caused due to abnormal growth of the cells. There are about 100 types of cancer and the symptoms and treatment of each varies from the other. Cancer types include skin cancer, lung cancer, lymphoma, breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, etc.

Normal cells follow a fix and orderly pattern of growth, division and death. But when this pattern breaks down, cancer starts to grow in the body. The cancer cells grow and divide. Due to this, there is uncontrollable growth of cells all over the body which hampers its proper functioning.

Treatment to cure cancer depends on the type of cancer and its stage. This may include traditional treatments like surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and new forms of treatments and complementary and alternative therapies.

Cancer Surgery:

It is used to detect cancer, determine its stage and cure it. Biopsy, a surgery type, is used to diagnose cancer. In biopsy, a tissue sample from the affected area is taken and is examined to determine the presence of cancer.  Every cancer affected person will have some type of surgery. Surgery is most effective and cures the person completely if the cancer has not spread to other parts of the body.
Chemotherapy:
Chemotherapy involves use of drugs or medicine to treat cancer. It may consist of a single drug or combinations of drugs. It is given orally in the form of a pill, administered in the vein or injected in the body cavity.  Most of the cancer affected people are given chemotherapy. If one becomes aware of the side effects and outcomes of this method, then chemotherapy can prove pretty helpful.

Radiation Therapy:

Radiotherapy or radiation therapy uses high energy particles or waves to damage or destroy the cancer cells. This method is used to eradicate visible tumours. However this method is not useful if the cancer cells have spread all over the body. It is used to cure or eliminate cancer or to provide relief from some of the symptoms of cancer. Radiation therapy is used with other methods of treatment or sometimes alone.

Hormonal Therapy:

Hormonal therapy is used to breast cancer or prostate cancer. Hormones are the natural substances that stimulate the growth of hormone sensitive tissues like the prostate gland. When cancer occurs in breast or prostate tissue, then the hormones may cause the cancer cells to grow and spread in the body. This can be avoided by using a drug that controls the hormones from doing so.

Targeted Therapy:

This is the newer treatment method of cancer. In this method, only the cancer cells are targeted and killed. In conventional methods like chemotherapy, healthy cells are also killed along with cancer cells. Newer methods of treatment use drugs that can distinguish between healthy cells and cancer cells.

Apart from these, there are also other treatments of cancer like 

immunotherapy :

It uses body’s immunity to fight cancer, 

hyperthermia : 

It uses heat to treat cancer, stem cell transplant, photodynamic therapy, Laser treatment, etc.