General Surgery is a surgical specialty that focuses on surgical treatment of abdominal organs, e.g. intestines including oesophagus, stomach, colon, liver, gallbladder and bile ducts, and often the thyroid gland (depending on the availability of head and neck surgery specialists) and hernias. At UKSH, we offer the following general surgery procedures:
A hernia occurs when part of an organ (usually the intestines) protrudes through a weak point or tear in the thin muscular wall that holds the abdominal organs in place. There are several types of hernias, based on where it occurs.
Hernia repair is performed as a day case procedure.
A cholecystectomy is the surgical removal of the gallbladder. Cholecystectomy is generally performed through key hole surgery, called laparoscopic cholecystectomy. This involves the insertion of a long narrow cylindrical tube with a camera on the end to allow the surgeon to view the organs and the insertion of other instruments to perform the surgical procedure.
The other type of cholecystectomy (open cholecystectomy) involves the removal of the gallbladder through a surgical incision high in the right abdomen, just beneath the ribs.
The operation is performed under general anaesthesia. You will experience moderate pain after surgery. However, the medical staff will ensure your pain is under control.
The hospital stay generally lasts 1 day.
General Surgery is available at our Shepton Mallet, Emersons Green, Devizes and Cirencester NHS Treatment Centres.