What is Intragastric Balloon?

Gastric balloon or endoscopic intragastric balloon, as it is known in medical language, is a non-surgical obesity treatment method that has been applied all over the world and has proven its validity. The basic logic is to reduce the need for food by inducing a feeling of satiety with the help of a balloon placed in the stomach. It is widely used especially in overweight and obese people who are not at the border of surgery.

How Is An Intragastric Balloon Applied?

There is no need for surgery for the intragastric balloon. The patient does not need to be operated for the balloon placed in the stomach. The balloon is placed in the patient’s stomach with the help of an endoscope, while the patient is weakly anesthetized. There is liquid or air in the balloon. The placement process takes about 15-20 minutes. The balloon can remain in the stomach for 6 months to 1 year. It is then easily removed within 5-6 minutes by endoscopic method. During this time, people are usually trained on how to eat by trying themselves.

How Does It Make You Lose Weight?

Normally, after people start eating, the stomach is stretched with the food taken. Thus, the feeling of satiety in the brain is stimulated and the person’s desire to eat decreases. The balloon placed in the stomach decreases the food intake capacity of the stomach and provides a feeling of satiety quickly. With the balloon method, patients can lose about 7-8 kilos in a few months.

Who Is Intragastric Balloon Applied to?

The most important advantage of the intragastric balloon is that it can be applied simply without surgery and does not create a permanent change in the body. The disadvantage is that after the balloon is removed, if the patients do not change their lifestyles and do not continue their diet, the weight that have been lost is regained.  Today, although it has lost its former popularity, it is used as a preparation for obesity surgery to be applied in patients who are too risky to undergo surgery or who are extremely obese.

Intragastric Balloon yazısı ilk önce Assoc. Professor Soykan Barlas üzerinde ortaya çıktı.

What are the Reasons?

Among the causes of obesity, there are problems such as genetic factors, sedentary lifestyle, bad eating habits, metabolic disorders, and sleep disorders. Obesity is also increasing in society, especially with the increase in the consumption of processed foods and high-sugar foods.

What are the Symptoms?

The most important symptom of obesity is excessive fatty tissue accumulation in the body. Apart from this, some complaints arise due to obesity. These are;

• Excessive Sweating
• Quick Fatigue
• Shortness of Breath
• Snoring
• Sleep Apnea
• Back Pain
• Joint Pains
• Psychological Problems

What are the Diseases Caused by Obesity?

• Diabetes 
• Insulin Resistance
• Hypertension
• Coronary Artery Disorder
• Gall Bladder Disorders
• Stroke 
• Sleep Apnea
• Asthma
• Psychological Problems 

What is Obesity Surgery (Bariatric Surgery)?

Obesity is a treatable disorder. Favorable results are obtained in the treatment of obesity, especially with obesity surgery. Obesity surgery, or bariatric surgery, with its medical name, is surgical interventions performed on the digestive system to help overweight people lose weight. After bariatric surgery, patients’ weight loss speed is high and the time to return to their daily routine life is short.

 Tube Stomach Surgery (Sleeve Gastrectomy)

Tube stomach surgery, as the name suggests, is the removal of a part of the stomach and turning it into a tube shape. In sleeve gastrectomy, most of the stomach is surgically removed. Thus, the volume of the stomach decreases. Approximate stomach volume is 50-100 ml. Therefore, the amount of food consumed by a person is limited. Thus, the person loses weight. In sleeve gastrectomy, the part of the stomach where appetite hormone is secreted is removed. Thus, appetite decreases in people after surgery.

Gastric Bypass

Bypass means not using one path but using another short path. Gastric bypass means creating a new passageway from the stomach to the intestines. In fact, it is a method used in the treatment of various diseases that obstruct the stomach outlet. In obesity surgery, a large part of the stomach is bypassed and rendered unusable by gastric bypass surgery. A small stomach section with a volume of approximately 30-50 cc is prepared and sutured to the small intestines. In gastric bypass surgery, both the volume of the stomach is reduced and some of the intestines are disabled. By deactivating some of the intestines, some of the food taken is thrown away without being absorbed. Thus, patients are saturated with less food and only a part of the food they take is absorbed.

Obesity yazısı ilk önce Assoc. Professor Soykan Barlas üzerinde ortaya çıktı.

What are the symptoms of reflux?

Reflux usually gives noisy symptoms such as burning, rancidity, pain and spasm. The most common complaints of patients are the arrival of bitter stomach content in the mouth at night after a late meal, bitter water when taking something from the floor or when tying shoes. Sometimes, reflux findings are more hidden and manifest with other disorders. For example, sore throat, hoarseness, dry cough, tooth decay and bad breath.

What causes reflux disorder?

I mentioned that there is a valve mechanism between the esophagus and the stomach entrance. All reasons that disrupt the function of this cover can cause reflux. Some medications, foods, and hormones can cause reflux. The causes of reflux can be counted as smoking, alcohol, chocolate and cocoa foods, peppermint, fatty and spicy foods, coffee, caffeine, tea, some blood pressure and heart medications. Surgically, the most important reason is the disruption of the valve function with the herniation of the stomach by sliding towards the chest cavity. Here, too, the problem is obesity, wearing very tight clothes, and the causes that increase the pressure in the abdominal cavity such as an abdominal mass.

How is reflux disorder diagnosed?

In patients who apply to the physician with complaints due to reflux, a camera called gastroscopy is performed to examine the initial part of the esophagus, stomach and duodenum. With this procedure, it is checked whether the complaints are caused by gastric wall inflammation called gastritis or reflux due to gastric hernia. Meanwhile, the damage caused by reflux to the esophagus is also seen. When a hernia is detected in the patient, the frequency of reflux to the esophagus and the pressure of the valve mechanism can be checked by applying methods called pH meter and manometer.

What is good for reflux? How is reflux disorder treated?

In patients who do not have many complaints, the lifestyle is tried to be changed first. Some of the methods that can be applied are taking the dinner hours earlier, not eating cocoa, fatty and spicy foods that can cause reflux, quitting smoking and alcohol, using a reflux pillow, and losing weight. Drugs that reduce stomach acid also contribute to the reduction of complaints.

How is reflux surgery done?

If the source of reflux is a hernia, this is a mechanical problem as in all other hernias and should be resolved surgically. Reflux surgery is the only real treatment option. Reflux surgery is performed laparoscopically with a camera by making small incisions on the abdomen. The upper part of the stomach, called the fundus, which is freed from the herniated area, is wrapped around the lower part of the esophagus as if it were a clamp. In the meantime, the hernia area is repaired. In this way, the stomach is prevented from sliding upwards and a valve mechanism is created again.

When will I return to my normal life after the operation?

Patients usually leave the hospital within 2 days after reflux surgery. During the first month, it is necessary to feed with juicy and soft foods in order to allow the esophagus to get used to its new condition. After 10-14 days from the operation, normal life and working life can be resumed. 

Reflux Surgery yazısı ilk önce Assoc. Professor Soykan Barlas üzerinde ortaya çıktı.

What causes pancreatic cancer? What are the risk factors?

It is more common in people over the age of 60 and in men. However, the incidence at younger ages is also increasing day by day. Although the cause is not clear, risk factors include smoking, dieting with high fatty foods, alcohol use, diabetes, obesity and high coffee consumption. These reasons I have mentioned are also risk factors for pancreatitis, which means inflammation of the pancreatic gland. Cancer development is relatively easier in patients with long-term pancreatitis. In recent studies, it has been shown that genetic factors are also associated with pancreatic cancer.

What are the symptoms of pancreatic cancer?

Indigestion may present with pain radiating from the stomach to the back, rapid weight loss and jaundice. Sometimes, new onset diabetes can be seen in tumors involving the body and tail of the pancreas, although there is no family diabetes. Rarely, a palpable mass in the stomach area, just below the rib cage, can be detected in the midline. Since the pancreas is located in an area where the nerves pass intensely in the body, there is very severe pain that hits the back in both pancreatitis and cancer.

How is it diagnosed?

Pancreatic cancer should definitely be kept in mind in patients presenting with complaints such as pain, jaundice, and weight loss. High detection of bilirubin showing jaundice in blood tests and CEA and CA 19-9, the tumor markers indicating pancreatic cancer, suggests pancreatic cancer. The mass can be revealed by ultrasonography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging. The diagnosis is confirmed by examinations called MRI and ERCP, which show the bile ducts, and the pancreas and bile duct are visualized with endoscopy.

How to treat?

The actual treatment of pancreatic cancer is surgery, but only 20-25% of patients can be caught in the operable period. Therefore, when the diagnosis is made, the tests should be completed quickly, and surgery should be performed if the patient is suitable. Chemotherapy and, if appropriate, radiotherapy are added to surgical treatment. In cases where the patient is not suitable for surgery, supportive treatment is performed with chemotherapy.

Which organs does pancreatic cancer spread to?

Pancreatic cancer is one of the tumors with an aggressive course. It often spreads to the lymph nodes around the pancreas, liver and lungs. Important vessels pass right next to the pancreas. Spread to the vessels in this area can also be observed.

Related Articles:

• Large Intestine Cancer
• Gastric Cancer
• Breast Cancer
• Thyroid Cancer

Pancreatic Cancer yazısı ilk önce Assoc. Professor Soykan Barlas üzerinde ortaya çıktı.

What are the symptoms of ingrown hair (pilonidal sinus) disease?

Usually, cysts due to ingrown hair do not show any symptoms. Sometimes a fine staining can be seen on the laundry due to the discharge. If infection or abscess develops, the discharge increases and severe pain may be experienced. In this case, the infection should be treated with early intervention. The biggest problem in this disease is that the area where ingrown hair occurs is in a place that remains moist and sweaty. It is difficult to clean this area due to its proximity to the anus. Factors that facilitate ingrown hair (pilonidal sinus) include;

• Being overweight
• Excess sweating
• Sitting constantly
• Being male
• Excessive body hair, especially the back
• Not paying attention to self-cleaning, not taking shower daily
• Shaving the area with a razor blade

How ingrown hair (pilonidal sinus) disease is treated?

If abscess has developed in the area, the treatment includes draining of the and antibiotic treatment. Definitive treatment can be performed after making sure that the infection is completely cleared. The treatment of ingrown hair can be performed with or without surgery. The main purpose of the non-surgical method is to clean the hair in these cysts, to burn and fill the cavities with special solutions. In eligible patients, sinuses are removed from the small incisions, followed by closing the area with stitches. Compared to the conventional surgical method, this approach is simpler, easier to apply and more comfortable for the patient after treatment. However, the risk of recurrence of the disease is higher in these treatment modalities and they are preferred only in theearly stages of the disease.

How ingrown hair (pilonidal sinus) surgery is performed?

Surgical treatment is required in patients who have had abscesses evacuated several times before or who the disease have recurred despite of previous interventions. The aim of the surgery is to remove all of the sinuses and to shift the coccyx pit where the disease occurs to prevent recurrence of the disease. In eligible patients, the wound can be closed with stitches or with flap, a tissue that is slid from the side hip once the problematic part is removed. In advanced cases, the wound can heal without stitches after the diseased tissue is removed.

How the postoperative care of ingrown hair (pilonidal sinus) is performed?

The coccyx region is a difficult place for wound care due to its location sincethe area is constantly stretched due to sitting and standing as well as prone to sweating. In addition, due to its proximity to the anus, it is prone to contamination during defecation. While the care of non-surgical methods employed for the treatment of ingrown hair is much easier, it may be very difficult when the treatment option is a surgical method. The area operated should be kept dry and clean, and the patient should spend the first few weeks lying down rather than sitting. For this reason, it may take up to 4 weeks for patients to return to work after surgery and 6-8 weeks for them to return to their normal daily life without any problems.

Does ingrown hairs (pilonidal sinus) recur after surgery?

The short-term recurrence of the disease depends on postoperative wound care.The possibility of recurrence is very low in patients who have completed postoperative wound healing without any problems. I recommend my patients to remove hair and hair follicles with laser epilation atthe coccyx area, take showers daily, and change clothes frequently to keep this area dry.

What is ingrown hair (Pilonidal Sinus)? yazısı ilk önce Assoc. Professor Soykan Barlas üzerinde ortaya çıktı.

What are the Symptoms of Perianal (Rectal Circumference) Fistula?

When abscess occurs, severe pain and discharge occurs in this area. However, sometimes without creating such a noisy picture, it shows itself like a pimple around the anus. When it is plastered, stool or a bloody inflamed fluid may come from this canal opening. These fistulas cannot heal spontaneously, they must be treated surgically. In particular, it is necessary to investigate the reasons for its occurrence. Usually they tend to recur when seen with intestinal diseases such as Crohn’s disease.

How is the Diagnosis Made in Perianal (Rectal Circumference) Fistulas?

In perianal fistulas, there are a number of diagnostic steps that must be done after the outer mouth is detected. Finding the inner mouth of these fistulas and the route they follow in the anus wall is very important and determines the treatment method to be applied. First of all, it is tried to determine the location of the inner mouth with a device that shows an area of 10 cm inside the anus, which we call a finger examination and anoscope, because 20% of these fistulas are simple fistulas and can be easily treated. Fistulography, which used to be a method used to shoot films by giving drugs from the outer mouth of the canal, is now being gradually abandoned due to the fact that the fistula does not determine the path followed by it and the margin of error is high. The safest method for today is to determine the path of the fistula and the location of the inner mouth by MRI and to plan the treatment accordingly.

How is the Treatment Done in Perianal (Rectal Circumference) Fistulas?

If the perianal fistula is detected as a simple fistula in the MRI examination, it is easy to treat and the fistula canal is opened by surgery. In up to 60% of patients, the fistula passes through or between the muscles that allow us to hold our stool, in which case an additional process called seton should be added to the disruption of the fistula canal. In 20% of the patients, the inner mouth of the fistula has extended up to the large intestine. In this patient group, treatment is much more difficult and larger surgical procedures may be required.

Recently, laser treatment models have been used in perianal fistula patients. These treatment models are based on the principle of burning the inside of the canal with laser after the patient has had the infection in the fistula. Although it is much more comfortable for the patient compared to surgical treatment, its use is limited. Since the burned fistula passes through the intra-anus muscles, serious strictures in the anal exit and revision operations may be required after recovery.

How is Postoperative Recovery in Perianal (Rectal Circumference) Fistulas?

Fistula surgery is one of the most unpleasant topics of general surgery. Postoperative 4-6 weeks of follow-up and recovery period are required. During this period, attention should be paid to the hygiene of the anus area, and attention should be paid to prevent recurrence of the infection with applications such as shower and sit-bath during the day.

Perianal Fistula yazısı ilk önce Assoc. Professor Soykan Barlas üzerinde ortaya çıktı.

• Detection of a single and hard nodule in the thyroid gland,
• Male patient over the age of 50,
• Detection of nodules in a patient younger than 15 years old,
• Fast growing nodule,
• Hard lymph node in the neck,
• Having received radiotherapy for any reason to the neck,
• Family history of thyroid cancer.

What are the Types of Thyroid Cancer?

Thyroid cancer is divided into 5 different groups. These are;

• Papillary thyroid cancer; It is the most common type of thyroid cancer with 70-75%. It is more common in women between the ages of 20-50. When treated, it provides the best life span. It can spread to the lymph nodes in the neck, so the thyroid gland and the lymph nodes on the side of the tumor are also cleaned during surgery.

• Follicular thyroid cancer; It is detected at a rate of 10-15%. It is more common in women over the age of 50. It is generally seen in patients who have been followed up for nodular goiter. The problem with follicular type cancer is that the cell taken from needle biopsies cannot be determined whether it is cancer or not. The probability of having cancer is around 20%, but surgery is usually decided to avoid risk.

• Hurthle cell cancer; It is relatively rare. It is usually detected over the age of 60. It is more aggressive compared to the papillary and follicular types, so all thyroid tissue is cleaned together with the lymph nodes around it in surgery.

• Medullary thyroid cancer; It is seen at a rate of 5-10%. It can be found alone or in families with other disorders. When this type of thyroid cancer is encountered, the patient should be investigated for other disorders. When found alone, the treatment is to remove the thyroid gland with the surrounding lymph nodes.

Anaplasticthyroid cancer; It is detected at a rate of 5%. It is the most aggressive of all thyroid cancers. It appears as a hard mass in the neck and may cause hoarseness and difficulty swallowing. When diagnosed, it may not be surgically removed.

Do I have goiter or thyroid cancer? How will I understand?

There are nodules in the thyroid gland in goiter and thyroid cancer. The important thing is to distinguish whether these nodules are benign or malignant. The structure, size and blood supply of the nodules are determined by ultrasound to the thyroid gland. Diagnosis can be supported by scintigraphy. Different or enlarged nodules are easily detected with intermittent and regular ultrasonography. If these features of the nodule or, if it is more than one, of the nodules raise suspicion, a piece is taken with a needle and examined in the laboratory. The piece taken will most likely make the diagnosis. The most important point to be considered here is that the needle biopsy of the thyroid gland should be performed under ultrasound guidance, not blindly. Otherwise, biopsy can be taken from the wrong area and may cause unnecessary biopsy repetitions.

I have thyroid cancer; how will I be treated?

The treatment of thyroid cancer is surgery. In the treatment, the thyroid gland is removed as a whole, if any, the lymph nodes in the midline of the neck and on the side are also cleaned. Instead of thyroid hormone secreted by the removed thyroid gland, the patient is given a lifelong oral thyroid hormone. In some special patient groups, only radioactive burning treatment can be applied instead of surgery.

Will my voice be muted after surgery? What other complications are there?

Like any surgery, thyroid surgery also has complications. The vocal nerves pass just below the thyroid gland and a 2-3% probability of postoperative hoarseness may be experienced. To prevent this, a device can be used to locate the vocal nerves during surgery and the risk is reduced. Bleeding is another complication that can be seen. There may be low calcium in the blood and contractions in the hands due to the removal of the parathyroid gland in the surgery or the deterioration of its nutrition. But all these risks can be reduced with careful surgery and experience.

Thyroid Cancer yazısı ilk önce Assoc. Professor Soykan Barlas üzerinde ortaya çıktı.

• Provides both growth and intelligence development of the baby in the womb,
• Provides contraction of muscles in adults,
• Supports the breakdown of fats and carbohydrates,
• Increases protein synthesis,
• It also contributes to the development of intelligence in adults.

What is a goiter? What are the types of goiter?

Goiter is the name given to the enlargement of the thyroid gland in short. This growth can occur with the emergence and growth of the lumps called nodules, as well as the growth of the entire thyroid gland without nodules. As a result of this growth, the thyroid gland sometimes begins to secrete excessive thyroid hormone. This condition is called hyperthyroidism. Sometimes, the thyroid gland remains normal and grows without any increase in hormones. This condition is called euthyroidism. The condition in which the thyroid gland secretes less hormones than its normal values is called hypothyroidism. It can be detected in many disorders and situations. The most common example is Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, one of the inflammatory diseases of the thyroid gland. Thyroiditis is the general name given to the inflammatory disease of the thyroid gland.

How is goiter diagnosed?

Reasons for consulting a physician; swelling in the neck, palpitations in the case of hyperthyroidism, shortness of breath, getting tired quickly, weight loss, fatigue, exhaustion, hair loss and weight gain in the case of hypothyroidism. When the patient applies to the physician with these complaints, the thyroid hormone values are checked first and an ultrasound is performed for the thyroid gland. If necessary, thyroid scintigraphy helps the diagnosis. In the examinations, it is evaluated whether the thyroid gland is enlarged, whether there is a nodule and whether the gland secretes excessive hormones. In the next stage, if there is a suspicion of cancer in the nodules, a biopsy is taken from the suspicious nodule with an ultrasound-guided needle. If there is no suspicion of cancer, medication is started according to the hormone status and the patient is followed up.

Who should have surgery for goiter?

Not every goiter patient needs surgery. When a goiter is detected in a patient, he usually performs, treatment is initiated and / or the patient is followed up by an endocrinologist. The patient with goiter should undergo surgery in the following cases;

• Cancer or suspicion of cancer in the needle biopsy,
• Enlarged thyroid gland compressing the windpipe,
• Enlarged thyroids extending down from the breastbone,
• Cosmetic reasons,
• Family history of thyroid cancer,
• Generally, surgery is recommended for thyroid nodules larger than 4 cm, as it becomes difficult to detect cancer cells with needle biopsy.

Apart from these cases, patients with goiter recently can be tested for the risk of thyroid cancer by performing a gene test. If there is a high risk in the gene test, it is useful to remove the thyroid tissue with surgery.

How is goiter surgery and treatment?

In patients who are decided to have surgery, the thyroid gland is completely or completely removed, or almost completely. Goiter surgery can be performed generally openly, very rarely laparoscopically in selected patients. In open surgery, the 6-7 cm longitudinal cut-off thyroid gland is removed. The patient stays in the hospital for one night and is discharged the next day after the controls are completed. Since the thyroid gland is removed after surgery, thyroid hormone should be taken orally for life.

What are the complications that may occur during and after goiter surgery?

The thyroid gland is one of the body’s most blood-drenched organs and is also located just above the nerves that stimulate the vocal cords. In addition, parathyroid glands that secrete calcium into the blood are located just near the thyroid gland. Depending on the complications that may occur; 

• Bleeding occurs in the first hours after surgery. It can be prevented with careful surgery, but no matter how careful it is, it can be seen with 1-2% possibility after surgery.
• Infection is very rare. It usually occurs with the development of a reaction to the suture materials used in surgery.
• Damage to the vocal nerves can be unilateral or bilateral. Unilateral vocal nerve damage is 2-3%, and bilateral nerve damage is much less common. There may be permanent or temporary hoarseness after surgery. If the nerve damage is bilateral, shortness of breath may develop.
• Calcium deficiency is caused by accidental removal of the parathyroid gland or its malnutrition during surgery. It can be temporary or permanent. It is treated by oral calcium and vitamin D.
• Permanent thyroid hormone deficiency (hypothyroidism) occurs after the thyroid gland is removed due to its inability to secrete hormones. The patient must use oral thyroid hormone for life.

Can’t the complications that may occur during surgery be prevented?

It is possible to reduce the risk of complications that may occur during surgery with the help of special tools to be used in surgery. The risk of bleeding can be eliminated by using devices that connect the vessels by burning, and the risk of hoarseness by using devices that show the location of the vocal nerve. However, the use of these devices unfortunately increases the cost of surgery a little.

Thyroid gland diseases and Goiter yazısı ilk önce Assoc. Professor Soykan Barlas üzerinde ortaya çıktı.

How will I know if there is a problem?

When stones, mud or any other problem occur in the gallbladder, it becomes unable to fully perform its task. After meals, pain, indigestion, swelling and nausea can be seen in the upper right part of the abdomen. Since these complaints can also be seen in the presence of gastritis and ulcers in the stomach, the first thing to do is to consult a physician to understand whether the problem is due to the stomach or the gall bladder.

How are gallstones formed? Do I need surgery immediately?

Gallstones are usually made up of elements called cholesterol, calcium, and bilirubin. They can be found in the sac or directly in the bile ducts. Both family predisposition and what we eat play a role in its formation. It is more common in women than in men. Obesity, estrogen therapy, rapid weight loss, diabetes and some blood diseases increase the risk of gallstones.

In the presence of complaints such as abdominal pain, bloating, and pain, mud or gallstones can be detected in the gallbladder by ultrasonography to be performed on the abdomen. The gallstones or mud that do not cause you discomfort do not need to be operated immediately. However, if the gallbladder is inflamed and causes you to go to the hospital with severe pain and fever (acute cholecystitis), it is beneficial to remove it without causing any bigger problems. If the patient has a history of diabetes or the use of immunosuppressive drugs, early surgery may be necessary, as acute cholecystitis attacks may be more severe. In addition, there are patients who need surgery on the incidentally detected gallstones without any complaints. If;

• The patient is in the child age group,
• The patient has sickle cell anemia,
• The gallstone is larger than 5 cm in the examination,
• There is calcification on the wall of the bladder, the gallbladder must be removed immediately.

If gallbladder polyps are larger than 1 cm, they are removed due to the risk of transformation into cancer. Polyps smaller than one cm are monitored intermittently, but do not require surgery.

How does gallbladder inflammation occur?

The bile accumulated in the sac is emptied into the digestive system with the help of a thin channel after meals. If the mouth of this channel is clogged with stones or mud, the bile in the sac cannot flow and bacteria form in the sac just like algae in stagnant water. When inflammation occurs, if the patient is admitted to the hospital in the early period, it is urgently operated. In patients who go to the hospital after the first 48 hours, the treatment, generally referred to as cooling therapy, where oral nutrition is stopped, and antibiotics and other drugs are administered intravenously. In diabetic patients, it is not preferred to wait, as gall bladder gangrene may occur unnoticed.

How is the surgery done?

Surgery is now routinely performed as closed surgery (laparoscopic). The operation is performed by entering the abdomen with 3 incisions of 5 mm and 1 incision of 1 cm. After the operation, the patient is hospitalized for 1 night and discharged the next day.

How should my diet be after surgery?

In the early period after surgery, it is necessary to avoid fatty and spicy foods until the body gets used to life without gallstones. Although this period varies from person to person, it is usually between 2 weeks and 6 months. During this period, foods rich in protein should be preferred.

Gall Bladder yazısı ilk önce Assoc. Professor Soykan Barlas üzerinde ortaya çıktı.

• Gastric polyps,
• Parasite Helicobacter pylori,
• Highly salty, pickled or smoked foods,
• Presence of gastric cancer in a first degree relative,
• Metal and plastic industry labor,
• Smoking

How Is Gastric Cancer Diagnosed?

Weight loss is particularly important. Patients usually admit to the hospital because of having no appetite and having lost 8-10 kilos in the last month. Anemia may occur due to bleeding from the tumor. In the presence of a gastric tumor, the complaints that can be seen in the patient are generally;

• Weight loss,
• Anemia,
• Early satiety and feeling of fullness in the stomach,
• Feeling stuck while swallowing food,
• Midline cramping pain just below the rib cage.

These complaints are not unique to gastric cancer. It can also be seen in the presence of advanced gastritis or stomach ulcers.However, when patients with these complaints for a long time consult a physician, unfortunately the disease is usually in advanced form.Early diagnosis is very important in stomach cancer as well as in all other cancers. The diagnosis of the disease is made by a procedure called gastroscopy, where the esophagus, stomach and duodenum are examined with a camera. A biopsy material can also be obtained during the procedure. When gastric cancer is diagnosed after biopsy, the extent of the disease in the body and stomach wall is determined by imaging methods such as tomography and / or positron emission tomography (PET). In this way, the stage of the gastric cancer is understood and the treatment planning is made according to this staging.

In Japan, where gastric cancer is common due to the diet, people are screened within a certain program, so that gastric cancer can be diagnosed at a very early stage. As with most cancers, early diagnosis in gastric cancer extends the life span significantly. Therefore, in the presence of the aforementioned complaints, referring to a physician without delay may be life-saving.

How is it treated?

The stage at which the cancer diagnosis is made is very important. Gastric cancer, the diagnosis of which is made in the first stage and has not spread to the surrounding lymph nodes, can even be treated endoscopically in suitable patients. The treatment of more advanced gastric cancer such as stage 2 and stage 3 is surgery. Depending on the location of the tumor in the stomach, all or part of the stomach can be removed. By connecting the remaining part of the patient’s esophagus or stomach to the small intestine, the continuity of the digestive system is ensured. The lymph nodes where tumor cells may have spread during the surgery must also be cleaned. Treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy only provide support. Gastric cancer surgery can be performed as open surgery, with laparoscopy or robotic surgery. In stage 4 gastric cancer, where the tumor metastasized to distant organs, the benefit from surgery is limited. At this stage, surgical treatments, called palliative, that increase the comfort of life of the patient are applied.

Remember that the most important benefit in the treatment is provided by consulting a physician without wasting time in the presence of stomach complaints and starting treatment early.

Gastric Cancer yazısı ilk önce Assoc. Professor Soykan Barlas üzerinde ortaya çıktı.