Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.
Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
What is the operation (procedure) that is recommended?
Ask your surgeon for a
simplified explanation of the type of operation, technique
used, and reasons it should be performed. (Pictures and drawings can tell
patients and family a great
deal.) Why was this specific procedure chosen over possible alternatives?
Ask the surgeon about his/her experience with this
procedure, its outcome, and the hospital or setting in which the operation will
be performed. Is the nursing staff accustomed to caring for patients who have had this procedure?
Is the procedure being done to relieve pain, diagnose a
condition, correct
deformity, for cosmetic reasons, or what exact purposes? Must the procedure be
performed immediately?
What are the nonsurgical or medical treatments available to help the
condition? What will/might happen if the operation is not done? If the operation
is not done at this time, can it be done later? What are the consequences if the
procedure is postponed or delayed?
Is a general anesthetic
necessary? Can the procedure be performed under local or regional anesthesia?
Are sedatives or other medications required prior to the procedure? What are the
risks of the type of anesthesia to be used?
Abdominal pain is pain in the belly and can be acute or chronic. Causes include inflammation, distention of an organ, and loss of the blood supply to an organ. Abdominal pain can reflect a major problem with one of the organs in the abdomen such as the appendix, gallbladder, large and small intestine, pancreas, liver, colon, duodenum, and spleen.
Diverticulitis is a condition in which diverticuli in the colon rupture. The rupture results in infection in the tissues that surround the colon. Diverticulitis symptoms include: abdominal pain, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, constipation, and bloating. Treatment methods include prescription medications, and in some cases, diverticulitis surgery.
A hernia is an opening or weakness in the muscular structure of the wall of the abdomen. This defect causes a bulging of the abdominal wall. Symptoms of a hernia include pain or discomfort and a localized swelling somewhere on the surface of the abdomen or in the groin area.
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is cancer of the lymphatic system, a vital part of the body's immune system. Symptoms include swollen lymph nodes, fever, night sweats, coughing, weakness, chest pain, unexplained weight loss, and abdominal pain. Treatment depends on which type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma you have, the stage of the cancer, your age, how fast the cancer is growing, and whether you have other health problems.
Uterine fibroids are benign tumors that originate in the uterus and are usually round or semi-round in shape. The most common symptom of a uterine fibroid is abnormal vaginal bleeding. Other symptoms include pressure, pelvic pain, pressure on the bladder, or pain during a bowel movement. Treatment options vary from surgery to medication.
Symptoms of cancer of the larynx, the organ at the front of the neck, include hoarseness, a lump in the neck, sore throat, cough, problems breathing, bad breath, earache, and weight loss. Treatment for larynx cancer depends on the stage (the extent) of the disease. Radiation therapy, surgery, and chemotherapy are all forms of treatment for laryngeal cancer.
Male breast cancer accounts for 1% of all breast cancers, and most cases are found in men between the ages of 60 and 70. A man's risk of developing breast cancer is one in 1,000. Signs and symptoms include a firm mass located below the nipple and skin changes around the nipple, including puckering, redness or scaling, retraction and ulceration of the nipple. Treatment depends upon staging and the health of the patient.
Arthroscopy is a surgical procedure by which the internal
structure of a joint is examined for diagnosis and/or treatment using a
tube-like viewing instrument called an arthroscope. Arthroscopy was popularized in the 1960s
and is now commonplace throughout the world. Typically, it is performed by
orthopedic surgeons in an outpatient setting. When performed in the outpatient setting, patients can usually return
home after the procedure.
The technique of arthroscopy involves inserting the arthroscope, a small
tube that contains optical fibers and lenses, through tiny incisions in
the skin into the joint to be examined. The arthroscope is connected to a
video camera and the interior of the joint is seen on a television
monitor. The size of the arthroscope varies with the size of the joint
being examined. For example, the knee is examined with an arthroscope that
is approximately 5 millimeters in diameter. There are arthr...
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