Minor Surgery

This book provides an illustrated step-by-step guide to minor surgery. It covers all minor surgical conditions and treatments encountered by the author over 25 years in general practice. The selection of suitable instruments and equipment is described, followed by methods of instrument sterilization, skin preparation, choice of incisions and a comprehensive description of methods of anaesthesia, including intravenous regional anaesthesia, nerve blocks and infiltration anaesthesia. Wound closure and the use of different suture materials are described, together with a section on the timing of suture removal to obtain the neatest scars. Follow-up and statistical analysis of the types of operation feasible in general practice are covered. Individual minor surgical procedures are then described with illustrations. The practitioner is taken through each operation, commencing with simple injection techniques, through excision of cysts, biopsies, ingrowing toe-nails and varicose veins to more complex minor operations including decompression of the carpal tunnel, release of trigger finger and excision of ganglion.
Finally, simple diagnostic procedures such as proctoscopy, sigmoidoscopy and biopsy are described. With the introduction of the new NHS Contract general practitioners in the UK are now being actively encouraged to undertake more of their own minor operations. This has been reflected in this second edition enlarging the sections on joint and peri-articular injections, hormone replacement therapy, alternative methods of treating ingrowing toe-nails, an a greatly expanded section on cryotherapy which undoubtedly has an important place in minor surgery outside hospital practice. New sections on Histological appearances of common skin lesions are included, together with colour photographs of frequently encountered lesions. Finally there is a new chapter on the medico-legal implications of minor surgery in general practice in the UK, this should help to ally many fears some doctors have about doing their own surgery, and also offer helpful guidelines on ways of avoiding problems, and of ensuring a good outcome and a satisfied patient.