What is a distal gastrectomy? A distal gastrectomy or antrectomy removes part of the stomach and stitches the remainder with an opening into the small intestine. Antrectomy (distal gastrectomy) is a procedure that involves surgical removal of the lower 30% of the stomach (antrum). Distal gastrectomy is a type of partial gastrectomy that involves the...
What is diagnostic laparoscopy? Laparoscopy procedure usually takes 30 to 60 minutes. Diagnostic laparoscopy is a surgical procedure that evaluates the causes of pain, bleeding, lumps, or diseases in the abdomen. Diagnostic laparoscopy is also called exploratory laparoscopy. This procedure is done under local anesthesia. During the procedure, a few small incisions are made, a...
What is a biliary stent? A biliary stent is a tube surgically placed to keep the bile duct open. A biliary stent is a plastic or metal tube inserted into a bile duct. Biliary stenting is a procedure that opens the obstructed bile duct. Obstructed bile duct leads to the accumulation of bile in the...
What are interferons and how do they work? Interferons are a family of naturally-occurring proteins that are made and secreted by cells of the immune system (for example, white blood cells, natural killer cells, fibroblasts, and epithelial cells). Three classes of interferons have been identified: alpha, beta, and gamma. Each class has many effects, though...
What is the urea breath test? Readers Comments 4 Share Your Story The urea breath test (UBT) is a test for diagnosing the presence of a bacterium, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in the stomach. H. pylori causes inflammation, ulcers, and atrophy of the stomach. The test also may be used to demonstrate that H....
What is rectal prolapse? Rectal prolapse is a condition in which the last part of your large bowel (rectum) comes out of your anus. This can happen in any of the following three ways: The entire rectum comes out of the anus Only a portion of the rectum is pushed through the anus The rectum...
What is a fascia? The fascia is the fibrous connective tissue that is present throughout the entire body, and there are three main types: superficial fascia (Camper’s fascia), deep fascia (Scarpa’s fascia), and visceral fascia. The fascia is the fibrous connective tissue that is present throughout the entire body. There are three main types of...
What is Crohn’s disease? Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease with five types, classified based in symptoms and the general location of the inflammation in the intestine. Crohn’s disease is a chronic condition that causes inflammation in the digestive tract. It belongs to a group of conditions known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It...
What is a gastrectomy? A partial gastrectomy is the surgical removal of a portion of the stomach, as opposed to a total gastrectomy in which the entire stomach is removed. A gastrectomy may also be accompanied by a vagotomy (removal of the part of the vagus nerve that stimulates the stomach’s acid production for digestion)....
What is a percutaneous cholecystostomy procedure? A percutaneous cholecystostomy is a procedure to place a drainage catheter in the gallbladder through a tiny entry hole made in the stomach wall. The drainage tube will be connected to a collection bag which can be periodically emptied. The doctor usually removes the tube in about two to...