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Southern DHB General Surgery - Southland

Public Service, General Surgery

Description

The Department of General Surgery at Southland Hospital deals with:
  • conditions of the abdomen
  • vascular system
  • breast
  • neck
  • skin
  • includes trauma.
 
Many conditions can be treated with ‘Key Hole’ surgery.

General Surgery provides Inpatient and Outpatient services (Outpatient services by appointment only).

An acute 24 hour service for emergencies is provided.
 
What is General Surgery?
The role of the General Surgical Department varies from hospital to hospital, but in broad terms general surgery can be said to deal with a wide range of conditions within the abdomen, breast, neck, skin and, in many hospitals, vascular (blood vessel) system.
 
While the name would suggest that the focus of general surgery is to perform operations, often this is not the case. Many patients are referred to surgeons with conditions that do not need surgical procedures, but merely require counselling or medical treatment.

Consultants

Referral Expectations

When you come to your appointment, your surgeon will ask questions about your illness and examine you to try to determine or confirm the diagnosis. This process may also require a number of tests (e.g. blood tests, x-rays, scans etc). Sometimes this can all be done during one visit, but for some conditions this will take several follow-up appointments. Occasionally some tests are arranged even before your appointment to try to speed up the process.
 
Once a diagnosis has been made, your surgeon will discuss treatment with you. In some instances this will mean surgery, while other cases can be managed with medication and advice. If surgery is advised, the steps involved in the surgical process and the likely outcome are usually discussed with you at this time.

Procedures / Treatments

  • Skin Disorders

    Skin conditions dealt with by general surgery include lumps, tumours and other lesions of the skin and underlying tissues.… More

  • Endocrine Disorders

    Abnormalities of the endocrine system treated by general surgery include disorders of the pancreas and adrenal glands in the abdomen and the thyroid and parathyroid glands in the neck. These are often very complex conditions requiring extensive investigations.… More

  • Breast Disorders

    General surgery covers breast diseases including breast cancer. These conditions are often initially dealt with in a specialised breast clinic which is able to perform a number of investigations (e.g.… More

  • Gastrointestinal Disorders

    Conditions of the gut dealt with by general surgery include disorders of the oesophagus, stomach, small bowel, large bowel and anus.… More

  • Salivary Gland Disorders

    Disorders of the salivary glands may be dealt with by the general surgical department or the ENT (ORL) department depending on the local policy. More

  • Gallstones

    General surgery covers some disorders of the liver and biliary system.… More

  • Hernias

    A hernia exists where part of the abdominal wall is weakened, and the contents of the abdomen push through to the outside.… More

  • Vascular Disorders

    Vascular (blood vessel) disorders treated by general surgery include varicose veins, blockages and narrowings in the arteries or abnormal swellings of the arteries (aneurysm).… More

Website

www.southernhealth.nz/

Contact Details

Southland Hospital, Invercargill

Southland

Emergency Department:
Ph (03) 218 1949, 24 hours / 7 days

 

Kew Road
Kingswell
Invercargill
Southland 9812

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Street Address

Kew Road
Kingswell
Invercargill
Southland 9812

Postal Address

Southland Hospital
PO Box 828
Invercargill 9840

This page was last updated at 9:29AM on June 14, 2022. This information is reviewed and edited by Southern DHB General Surgery - Southland.