Medical dictionary

What is emergency surgery? ER or emergency surgery or emergency general surgery is surgery performed in situations where there is an acute threat to life, organ or tissue. Such a threat may be caused by illness, surgical complication, trauma, or an acute change in a chronic illness. Emergency surgery is something that many types of specialist will have training in, in particular any consul

What is eventration? Eventration is a hernia (leakage of an organ or adjacent tissues of the cavity where they are contained) that forms at the same time as the scars after abdominal surgery. Eventration is a complication of a laparotomy or abdomen surgery. What are the symptoms of eventration? The main symptom of eventration is swelling at a point on the surgical scar. The eventratio

What counts as a family history of breast cancer?   If many members of your family have or had cancer, there is a possibility that it may be caused by a faulty gene that might increase your risk of developing cancer. This is known as a family history of cancer.   In the case of breast cancer, genes that may increase the risk are BRCA1 and BRCA2. An abnormal CHEK2 gene may als

What is a femoral hernia?   A femoral hernia is fairly uncommon and is most commonly found in women. Femoral hernias are found in the groin region and can appear as a painful lump on the inner, upper thigh. The lump can be pushed back in and can sometimes become more prominent when straining or coughing. It is estimated that only 1 in 20 groin hernias are femoral hernias, and are mostly

What is it? A fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is a minimally-invasive exam by which some cells are taken in order to accurately verify what kind of thyroid nodule you have. FNA is different from a biopsy - in a biopsy a whole sample of tissue is taken, not just a few cells.   What does it involve? A FNA can be done at your local outpatient clinic – there is no need for any

A fistula is when a connection forms between an organ and another structure, and usually develop when an organ becomes inflamed or injured. Fistulas are very common in people who suffer with Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel disease, with around 35 per cent of people with Crohn’s disease having at least one fistula.   What are the different types of fistula?

What is a flushed face?   A flushed face or blushing is the sudden reddening of the face, which can also affect the neck and upper chest.   The redness can manifest as red patches or blotchiness, and is caused by increased blood flow to the face, causing blood vessels to enlarge. The enlarged blood vessels cause the face to go red.   A flushed face i

What is foam sclerotherapy? Sclerotherapy has been around as a treatment for a significant amount of time, and it involves injecting a special solution called a sclerosant into the vein, damaging the internal lining and creating a blood clot. The body then destroys the vein itself over time. With foam sclerotherapy, the solution is made into a foam by mixing it with a small amount of air and ag

What is FTM top surgery? FTM top surgery, or FTM (female to male) top surgery - also known as masculinising chest surgery or, solely, top surgery - is a surgical procedure called subcutaneous mastectomy. What's involved in FTM top surgery? FTM top surgery removes breast tissue to create a more masculine-appearing chest.  There are di