Like many medical terms, the word comes from Greek; in its original sense, it means “craftsmanship.” Although many people generally equate surgery with operations, surgery is by no means the only specialty in which surgical procedures are performed.
The spectrum of surgical practice is broad. The main areas of application include surgical and non-surgical primary and routine care. As a result, surgeons are often the ideal choice in emergency medicine. Surgeons are therefore usually very knowledgeable about the fundamentals of trauma, visceral, and vascular surgery.
Whether it’s broken bones, trauma injuries, herniated discs, or varicose veins—these are all cases for surgery. The Greeks weren’t wrong: manual dexterity and an eye for aesthetics are indeed integral to surgery.
In medicine, there are a total of eight surgical specialties. Of course, these fields frequently overlap. By the way: For clarity, we have divided visceral surgery into two parts and have also listed hernia surgery as a subspecialty.
Surgery deals with the surgical treatment of diseases, injuries, the consequences of injuries, and congenital malformations. Surgical treatment is an invasive procedure, that is, an operation.
Medical Specialists in Surgery
Surgery involves, for example, completely or partially removing diseased organs, suturing injured body parts, and restoring the patency of blocked organ systems. Surgery also involves implanting new organs or prostheses.
Specialists in surgery perform these procedures using either minimally invasive or open surgical techniques.
Subspecialties of Surgery
Further subspecialties have emerged from the field of surgery.
These include:
- Cardiac surgery
- Vascular surgery
- Thoracic surgery
- Visceral surgery
- Bariatric surgery
- Pancreatic Surgery
- Liver Surgery
- Endocrine Surgery
- Oncologic Surgery
- Pediatric Surgery
- Neurosurgery and
- Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery
Cardiac Surgery
Cardiac surgeons perform surgical procedures on the heart and the blood vessels near the heart.
These include:
- coronary artery bypass surgery
- heart transplantation
- pacemaker implantation
- heart valve reconstruction, and
- cardiac rhythm surgery
The goal of cardiac surgery is to treat congenital or acquired heart defects, such as heart valve, pericardial, or heart muscle disorders. Cardiac surgery can be performed either on an open heart or a closed heart.
Vascular Surgery
Vascular surgery specialists focus on the surgical treatment of vascular diseases. This includes diseases of the veins and arteries and the resulting complications.
Vascular surgeons (officially: specialists in vascular surgery) primarily treat the following conditions
- Peripheral arterial disease
- Varicose veins
- Aneurysms
- Vascular stenoses and
- Circulatory disorders
In addition to endovascular and surgical treatment methods, vascular surgery also employs conservative therapies involving medication.
Thoracic Surgery
Thoracic surgery involves operations on:
- the chest (thorax)
- Lungs
- Bronchi
- Trachea
Thoracic surgery specialists therefore perform surgeries for lung cancer, pleural diseases, pneumothorax, or pectus excavatum.
Thoracic surgery procedures can be performed either by opening the chest (thoracotomy) or using a minimally invasive approach via thoracoscopy.
Visceral Surgery
The range of services provided by visceral surgery experts includes surgeries on the organs of the abdominal cavity, such as:
- Stomach
- Intestines
- Liver
- spleen, and
- gallbladder
In addition, surgeries on the pancreas, esophagus, thyroid, and parathyroid glands are also part of visceral surgery.
Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery
Experts in plastic and aesthetic surgery perform procedures to alter the shape of or reconstruct organs, tissues, and the skin surface.
The goal is to restore or improve impaired body contours and functions.
The range of services in plastic and aesthetic surgery includes:
- Facelift
- Rhinoplasty
- Liposuction
- Breast augmentation and
- Ear correction
Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery experts are specialists in the surgical treatment of disorders of the brain, spinal cord, spine, and nerves.
These include, for example:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Brain tumors
- Strokes and
- Herniated discs
The scope of neurosurgery therefore includes spinal surgery and intracranial surgery (brain surgery).
Pediatric Surgery
The scope of pediatric surgery includes the surgical treatment of:
- Spina bifida
- Hydrocephalus
- Hirschsprung’s disease, or
- Inguinal hernia
Oncologic Surgery
Experts in oncological surgery specialize in the surgical treatment of cancer. Their primary focus is on the surgical removal of all types of tumors.
Among the most common conditions treated in oncological surgery are:
- Colon cancer
- Stomach cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
- Gallbladder cancer and
- Liver cancer