Omphalocele
Omphalocele occurs when there is a defect in the central abdomen. It was first described in a publication 1634 by Ambroise Paré. Hey completed the first successful surgical repair of…
Read MoreAbdominal Wall Anatomy
Ephraim McDowell performed the first successful laparotomy on December 25, 1809. The patient was Jane Todd Crawford, a distant cousin of Abraham Lincoln’s wife, Mary Todd Lincoln. Abdominal Wall Layers…
Read MoreRadial Scar
Benign sclerosing lesions include radial scars and complex sclerosing lesions. Radial scars are are always ≤10 mm while complex sclerosing lesions are >10 mm. They exist as an area of…
Read MoreOstomy Care
Ostomies are made when a portion of the GI tract is brought out through the abdominal wall, opened, and matured by suturing the wall of the bowel to the abdominal…
Read MoreBreast Fat Necrosis
Breast fat necrosis was described by Geoffrey Hadfield in a report written in 1926 in the British Journal of Surgery. In this description, it was described as an “innocent condition”…
Read MoreAcute Wound Failure
Acute wound failure encompasses several postoperative complications that all result from partial or total disruption of the surgical wound. Wound Failures Risk Factors Presentation Treatment Relevant Information
Read MoreToxic Megacolon
Toxic megacolon occurs as acute colitis with dilation of the colon (≥6 cm) with a nonobstructive segmental or complete dilation pattern on imaging with signs of systemic toxicity. Etiology Pathogenesis…
Read MoreAppendiceal Carcinoma
In 1867, four case reports by Rokitansky described carcinoma of the appendix. However, microscopic diagnosis was not provided at that time. The first microscopically confirmed case of appendiceal carcinoma was…
Read MoreTrauma Thoracotomy
Thoracotomy is a surgical procedure in which an incision is made between the ribs to gain access to organs in the chest/thorax. Emergent thoracotomy first came to the United States…
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Big Concepts
Breast
Diagnosis Scripts
General Surgery
Hernias
Skin and Soft Tissue
Surgical Complications
Wound Complications
Hematoma
Hematomas are collections of blood in subcutaneous tissue or deeper tissues at site of surgery (in post-operative setting). They are named according to location (e.g. abdominal wall, parathyroid, retroperitoneal) and…
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