Surgery
Surgery is the branch of medicine that treats disorders by surgical operation. For example, a surgeon can remove a diseased part of the body, correct deformities, repair injuries, or carry out internal examinations.
There are many different specialties within surgery, but every surgeon is trained in certain basic techniques and skills before starting further specialized training.
Kinds of Surgery
Some surgeons specialize in dealing with certain age groups, such as children (pediatric surgery), or particular conditions, such as cancer, when the surgeon is part of a team including other physicians and radiotherapists. Common specialties include general surgery, abdominal surgery, surgery of the gastrointestinal tract, trauma surgery or the immediate treatment on emergency hospital admission, cardiac surgery or treatment of heart conditions, and cosmetic surgery, which is really a subspecialty of plastic surgery. Other specialist areas include dental surgery, which includes faciomaxillary surgery, used in the treatment of teeth and damage to facial bones; genitourinary surgery for treatment of urinary disorders and male genital problems; gynecological surgery, treatment of disorders of the female reproductive system; and neurosurgery, treatment of the brain and nervous system.
There is also obstetric surgery, the specialty of dealing with childbirth; ophthalmic surgery, treatment of eye disorders; orthopedic surgery, treatment of bone and joint disorders; otorhinolaryngological surgery (ENT), treatment of ear, nose, and throat disorders; and plastic surgery, to reform and replace damaged tissues.
There are three other common specialties: rectal surgery, a subspecialty of genital surgery; thoracic surgery, treatment of the chest, particularly the lungs; and vascular surgery, treatment of the peripheral blood vessels.
