Basic Conditions Requiring Surgery

Answer 1

1) Obstruction or blockage mainly affects arteries (e.g. the coronary or cerebral arteries), tubes (e.g. bronchial and Eustachian tubes), and ducts (e.g. the cystic duct). Obstructions of passageways within the body are dangerous because they block the flow of such vital substances as blood, air, cerebrospinal fluid, urine, and bile. 2) Perforation is the rupture of an organ, artery or bleb. Examples of perforation are: perforated duodenal ulcer, ruptured bladder, and cerebral hemorrhage. Perforation is a dangerous event that usually calls for emergency surgery. 3) Erosion is the wearing away or eating away of the surface of a tissue as a result of continuous physical irritation, infection, ulceration, or inflammation. This process of erosion may wear away blood vessel walls, resulting in bleeding. Cancerous tumors, bladder stones, duodenal ulcers, and tuberculosis can all lead to the erosion of blood vessels and resultant bleeding. 4) Tumors are abnormal growths of tissues that form masses serving no physiologic function within the body, and that may be malignant. Tumors often grow very large before they are detected. A tumor may not initially produce symptoms, so patient may unknowingly neglect the condition and fail to seek medical advice. At times such neglect may be fatal. One of the most common methods of treating tumors is by surgical excision of the mass.