Health Archives - Page 4 of 14 - Digestive Surgery Clinic

Feb 10 Comments Off

Intermittent Fasting for Fat Loss

Posted by Dr. Sarfaraz Jalil Baig

Fasting has been an integral part on all religion. Our forefathers have practiced fasting on a regular basis. Monks eat food sparingly, once or twice a day which helps them to attain a longer and healthy life. Though intermittent fasting has been an integral part of our culture and civilization, but we are following it now as it has gone to west and come back. Like most aspects of life, we prefer to imitate the western civilization.

Intermittent fasting is a very scientific approach which can be practiced in several forms.

Most common of them is 16:8 , that is fasting for 16 hours a day and eating your food for only 8 hours. In this method we generally take the night 8 hours sleeping time into consideration and fast for 4 hours before sleeping as well as 4 hours after getting up. During this fasting window one is allowed to consume water, black tea or coffee without sugar or with stevia.

Research has proved that intermittent fasting is an excellent dieting tool or pattern for fat loss. It also promotes loss of visceral fat.

Initially an individual might feel dizzy or weak during the fasting window but like any other habit in life one gets used to it over time. We must understand that intermittent fasting is not a diet but a diet pattern. One has consume his / her required calorie through macro-nutrients but follow the pattern of intermittent fasting.

Other fasting methods can be 20:4, that is fasting for 20 hours and eating for 4 hours.

One can also follow that fasting technique or eating only when clock strikes 12 noon.

Some people also follow that practice of 5:2

That is eating a very high calorie meal for 5 days in a week and fasting for 2 days. The fasting days are never consecutive. In this way, they are able to keep their total calorie intake for a week under control. Though this method can be a little extreme for most people.

Another advantage of intermittent fasting is, that one doesn’t have to think a lot about what to eat throughout the day and can use that time and energy towards productive purposes.

Nov 10 Comments Off

TAR Comes as Blessing for The People Suffering from Severe Hernia

Posted by Dr. Sarfaraz Jalil Baig

New surgery (TAR) for failed hernia repair gives new life to frustrated patients.

Hernia surgery has undergone a sea of change. The surgery depends on the hernia. It is no longer acceptable to treat all hernias by one strategy.

Although smaller defects can be managed laparoscopically (with tiny holes in the abdomen) with ease, Complex Hernias– failed hernia repairs (sometimes 5-6 times), very big gaps and poor condition of overlying skin are best treated by a surgery called TAR. This surgery has given new life to some frustrated patients where conventional surgery is doomed to fail.

This technique is unique in the sense that it covers the entire weak abdomen with a mesh and also restores the functionality of the abdominal muscles better than any other procedure. Plainly put, a mesh cannot behave like normal human tissue and may interfere with normal movement of the abdomen. This is in contrast to TAR where the defect is closed with the mobilised muscles of the patient and hence the patient is able to perform movements at the torso level more efficiently.

For patients and surgeons struggling to repair difficult hernias, TAR procedure for hernia is the right option. As with all advanced procedures, it should be performed only by experts for optimum results

Jul 19 Comments Off

Transversus Abdominis Release – Treatment for Large Hernia Defect

Posted by Dr. Sarfaraz Jalil Baig

I am sure once in a while you stumble into a large defect hernia that fails to all the conventional repair.

It’s frustrating!

Typically, these hernias have huge lateral displacement of the rectus abdominis and a consequent contraction thus making it impossible to reinforce the midline or perform safe mesh placement. Add to it the collagen weakness and an obese patient, and the possibility of failure looms large.

These hernias would not be served well with a laparoscopic hernioplasty because of a high failure rate and mesh expulsion. Neither would an open onlay hernioplasty serve due to high wound complications. Retromuscular Stoppa repair may bridge the defect but is unlikely to approximate the midline.

In these circumstances a posterior component separation technique with transversus abdominis release (TAR) would be a great alternative. The surgery has become increasingly popular in recent times due to its efficacy and decreased wound complication rate.

Here is how we do it!

Jun 14 Comments Off

Laparoscopic Ventral Hernia Repair – Overcoming Incisional Hernia

Posted by Dr. Sarfaraz Jalil Baig

Hernia surgery is undergoing continuous change in technique to improve results and to meet high expectations of the patient.

No more is one surgery held as treatment for all and neither is one technique. Each case is evaluated and strategy tailor made. Thus, we now perform open Stoppa repair, component separation procedure, laparoscopic IPOM to name a few. In some cases, a prior weight loss surgery (bariatric surgery) is even done to optimise results.

Here is a case of post pelvic surgery incisional hernia which had been repaired 3 times by open technique. We repaired it laparoscopically.

Some of the critical steps of the procedure that are crucial to good outcome such as careful adhesiolysis, raising of peritoneal flaps, suture closure of the defect, large mesh and strategic fixations are shown.

Watch the video right here:

Jun 14 Comments Off

Chronic Pancreatitis – Learn How It is Cured!

Posted by Dr. Sarfaraz Jalil Baig

Here is a case of chronic pancreatitis that was managed surgically at our center.

A 40 year old diabetic female was referred with intractable pain abdomen. She was a known case of chronic pancreatitis managed on medical treatment (pancreatic enzymes, analgesics) for the last 3 years. She also had developed diabetes during this period.

CT and MRCP picked up a large impacted stone at the head of pancreas with dilated pancreatic duct and atrophic pancreas.

After optimising, a decision to do laparoscopic lateral pancreatojejunostomy was taken. The stone and pus was removed from the duct and it was joined with a limb of jejunum.

She recovered well and was discharged in a painless condition on the 5th postoperative day.

Here is how it was done:

Jun 14 Comments Off

Abdominal Sepsis Treatment – The Step-by-Step Procedure

Posted by Dr. Sarfaraz Jalil Baig

A 35 year old woman was referred to Digestive Surgery Clinic with abdominal sepsis following a cholecystectomy on her 11th postoperative day.

CT picked up a large collection of bile in the upper abdomen. A pigtail catheter was introduced radiologically along with antibiotics. Owing to residual sepsis, a laparoscopic drainage was undertaken subsequently, following which she recovered rapidly. A controlled biliary fistula developed that persisted for a month.

MRCP showed dilated left and right hepatic ducts and a block at the confluence of ducts. No vascular injury was identified.

A definitive repair of the bile duct in the form of left hepaticojejunostomy was done.

The link below shows the critical steps of the procedure that is vital to good long term outcome.

All Posts in Category: Health

Hernia surgery is undergoing continuous change in technique to improve results and to meet high expectations of the patient.

Here is a case of chronic pancreatitis that was managed surgically at our center.