HPB Surgery

The word HPB means HepatoPancreatoBiliary i.e. related to liver, pancreas and bile duct. An HPB surgeon operates on these organs when they are diseased. As the operations on these organs are complex and requires special expertise, the specialty of HPB surgery has branched out from general surgery. The problems of these organs may be benign or malignant ( cancer). Common operations which are done are liver resection for liver cancer and benign diseases, pancreatic resection for pancreatic cancer, chronic pancreatitis. Bile duct resection and repair for its cancer and accidental injury during gallbladder operation.

Surgery of the gastrointestinal tract i.e. Esophagus, stomach, small intestine, colon and rectum is called GI Surgery. Any disease ;benign or cancer related to GI tract is operated by a GI Surgeon.

GI Surgeons also operate on mesenteric vascular problems, like portal hypertension due to cirrhosis, extrahepatic portal vein obstruction (EHPVO) or non cirrhotic portal fibrosis (NCPF).

When a surgery is done on an organ which has cancer it is called oncosurgery. Usually a wide area bearing lymph nodes are removed when surgery is done for a cancer of any organ. HPB surgeons regularly do oncosurgery of liver, pancreas, gallbladder and biliary system. Similarly GI surgeons deal with cancers of esophagus, stomach, small intestine and colo-rectum.

Laparoscopy or Keyhole surgery is a surgery done through several small cut around 5-10mm in size rather than one big incsion. Surgery for a particular problem is same whether it is done through open or laparoscopic method. The benefit for the patient is early recovery , less pain and better cosmesis. Though lot of operations can be done laparoscopically, presntly some of them are standard of care like laparoscopic cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal), laparoscopic appendicectomy, laparoscopic hernia repair, laparoscopic colectomies, laparoscopic Heller’s myotomy ( surgery for achalasia cardia) and bariatric surgery.

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