Scoliosis is a condition that causes a sideways curve of the spine. It can happen to anyone, but it's often spotted in teens. Most of the time, the curve is on the right side. But what if it's on the left? Is it any different? That's what some researchers wanted to find out. They looked at teens with this condition and compared those with left-side curves to th...
Pituitary tumors, also known as PitNETs, are usually easy to remove. But sometimes, they have weird features. These features make surgery much harder. For instance, they might spread widely inside the skull. Or, they might have a tough, fibrous texture. They could also have an odd shape, wrap around blood vessels, or invade the space around the brain. These tumors ar...
Hip replacement surgery is a game-changer for people with severe hip arthritis. The question is, does the way the surgeon goes in matter? Two common methods are the direct anterior approach and the posterior approach. A recent study took a close look at these two methods to see if one is better than the other. First, let's talk about why this matters. Hip replacemen...
Did you know that surgeons can now replace your aortic valve without cutting through the middle of your chest? One method they use is called a right anterior mini thoracotomy (RAMT). This approach involves making a small incision on the right side of the chest. But how effective is this method in the long run? Let's find out. Surgeons have been using different techn...
What happens when you try to fix snoring and breathing problems during sleep with surgery? This study takes a long look at what surgeons did to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in the United States from 2004 to 2020. They dived into a big healthcare database to see how many surgeries were done and what types were most common. It's like watching a slow-motion repla...
Thoracic disc herniation might not be as rare as you think. But why is it such a big deal? Well, there are two main obstacles we face with this condition. First, cutting out the herniated disc can be a real challenge. The thoracic spine is a tricky area to operate on because it's protected by the rib cage and lungs. Also, diagnosing this condition early isn't always ...