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SurgSpace

SurgSpace / Specialties / General Surgery

General Surgery

The abdomen and its contents, the acute abdomen, hernias, biliary disease, bowel, breast and endocrine surgery, and the foundation every other surgical specialty builds on.

5 operations in depth5 interactive cases

Backdrop: A laparoscopic operating theatre mid-case · Dr.jayesh amin · CC BY-SA 3.0

Read the scan

Imaging

See the study, interpret it, then answer the surgical question.

The studies that shape surgical decision-making. Not a radiology curriculum: what the scan changes about the plan, then practice reading it.

Practice the image

Read the obstructed abdomen

Colicky central pain, distension, bilious vomiting, and an appendicectomy scar. Abdominal radiograph. (Fictional educational case.)

Synthetic educational image · schematic obstruction film for practice

Pick out the dilated loops, the small-bowel markings and the empty distal colon, then reason to the surgical decision: trial of conservative care or theatre.

What each study decides

Investigations

  • Bloods & lactate

    • The white count and CRP trend, not the single value.
    • Lactate is the abdomen's smoke detector: rising means ischaemia until proven otherwise.
    • Amylase or lipase in every epigastric pain, because pancreatitis imitates everything.

  • Ultrasound

    • The first question in RUQ pain: stones, wall thickness, pericholecystic fluid, and a sonographic Murphy's.
    • Duct diameter asks whether a stone has escaped the gallbladder.
    • In the young woman with RLQ pain, it examines the pelvis the differential demands.

  • CT abdomen & pelvis

    • The acute abdomen's map: free air, free fluid, fat stranding, and the transition point of an obstruction.
    • Closed loops and pneumatosis are the findings that convert waiting into theatre.
    • Contrast phases chosen by the question: bleeding needs an arterial phase.
    Want to interpret the full study? Open in RadSpace

  • Endoscopy

    • In the GI bleed it is diagnosis and treatment in one visit: adrenaline, clips, thermal therapy.
    • The stigmata drive the plan: an actively spurting vessel and a clean base are different diseases.

Hub shaped by the Surgical Specialties Lead with the General surgery reviewer (open seat). Images and videos carry their source; educational use for supervised learning, not clinical guidance.