How is the surgery performed?
The surgery is a simple procedure performed by aspiration (suction). This procedure is referred to as a D&C (Dilation and Curretage) and is chosen method to empty the contents of the uterus. The method takes about 2 to 5 minutes. If you are over 13 weeks pregnant, you will first have your uterus dilated with a sterile product made specifically for cervical dilation. You will return for the actual surgery on the second day. This procedure is referred to as D&E (Dilation and Extraction). In some cases, a patient will require two consecutive days of dilation and will return for the surgery on the third day. The dilation procedure takes just a few minutes and you will be in the clinic for approximately 2 hours the day or days that you are dilated.
Implantation of the brain electrode is performed with the patient awake, using only local anesthetic and occasional sedation. The basic surgical method is called stereotaxis, a method useful for approaching deep brain targets though a small skull opening. For stereotactic surgery, a rigid frame is attached to the patient’s head just before surgery, after the skin is anesthetized with local anesthetic. A brain imaging study (usually MRI) is obtained with the frame in place. The images of the brain and frame are used to calculate the position of the desired brain target and guide instruments to that target with minimal trauma to the brain. After frame placement, MRI, and calculation of the target coordinates on a computer, the patient is taken to the operating room. At that point an intravenous sedative is given, a Foley catheter is placed in the bladder, the stereotactic frame is rigidly fixed to the operating table, a patch of hair on top of the head is shaved, and the scalp is washed.
There are several available surgical methods. In the most common method, implantation of the brain electrode is performed with the patient awake, using only local anesthetic and occasional sedation. The basic surgical method is called stereotaxis, a method useful for approaching deep brain targets though a small skull opening. For stereotactic surgery, a rigid frame is attached to the patient’s head just before surgery, after the skin is anesthetized with local anesthetic. A brain imaging study (MRI or CT) is obtained with the frame in place. The images of the brain and frame are used to calculate the position of the desired brain target and guide instruments to that target with minimal trauma to the brain. After frame placement, MRI/CT, and calculation of the target coordinates on a computer, the patient is taken to the operating room. At that point an intravenous sedative is given, a Foley catheter is placed in the bladder, the stereotactic frame is rigidly fixed to the operating tab
In the not so distant past, cataract surgery used to involve making a large incision to remove the cloudy lens, and patients were often brought into the hospital overnight or for several days. Now advanced surgical techniques and modern lens replacement make “same day cataract surgery” possible. You can have your cataract removed on an outpatient basis at a nearby hospital and go home the same day! Today, cataract surgery is among the most highly perfected, safe, and successful procedures in all of medicine. Over one million cataract operations are performed in this country every year. The surgery is most often performed with monitored anesthetic care with appropriate sedation given as necessary and thus does not carry the risks of general anesthesia. It is painless and usually takes less than an hour. A sophisticated micro-surgical technique, called phacoemulsification, is used to remove the cataract through a small incision. Phacoemulsification is an ultrasound technique which allows
