This is a question I get often asked by my patients, and my reply is usually: it depends. This depends on: is it possible to have laparoscopic (keyhole) repair or not and whether you prefer to have one over another.

There are several reasons why a surgeon may not be able to perform laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair:

The researchers have concluded that: "In this large, multinational, prospective cohort study involving participants from 21 countries in 5 continents, we found inverse associations between total dairy consumption and mortality or major cardiovascular disease events. The risk of stroke was markedly lower with higher consumption of dairy.

Whole fat dairy has been vilified for years or decades. It has been thought to be associated with hypercholesterolaemia (high cholesterol levels) as well as high levels of other fat in the blood. We have been programmed by heart foundation to drink low-fat milk, almost no fat milk etc. for years. I have recently moved back to drinking regular fat milk and eating dairy products that are the least amount processed as possible. I drink blue (full-fat milk), butter (not margarine), homemade yoghurt (no added sugar), all various cheeses (apart from processed spreadable ones).

Thyroid nodules are very common, up to 67% of people have them. We assess them with the use of thyroid ultrasound. There are ultrasound criteria called TI-RADS that guide us thyroid surgeons and physicians which nodules should or should not be biopsied. And we act based on the results of the biopsy.

Melbourne International Joint Breast Congress

I enjoyed seeing and catching up with friends. As an educational conference, it has been a good conference, and I have learnt or solidified my knowledge. And we in Wellington are doing well. Our medical oncologist and breast surgeons are up to date with their medical knowledge, and we inform and treat our patients with up to date information

Overtreatment of medical conditions has become the most talked about topic in medicine.  Every medical specialty is looking at overtreatment and how to minimise it. 
 
There are two main reasons why this is happening.  First, if a patient is not going to benefit from treatment, then we as doctors are placing these patients under unnecessary risks of complications from the treatment.  Secondly, we are wasting the resources that should be used for other treatments that patients would benefit from.

The number of women having immediate or delayed breast reconstruction following mastectomy is increasing in New Zealand and Australia. Implants are commonly used for breast reconstruction, and their safety has been debated extensively since the 1960s.

Mesh has routinely been used in hernia repairs in the last 20 years for all groin hernias as well as hernias in the abdominal wall that are more than 2 cm in diameter. Lately, there is lots of controversy with regards to the use of mesh in abdominal surgery.

I have often been asked by patients if they are a candidate for breast conservation surgery or should they have a mastectomy. So is there a right answer?
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Both you as a patient and your surgeon have a say in this decision, but ultimately the choice is yours. 

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a chronic medical condition affecting your intestines, predominantly large bowel.  There are more and more people living with it in New Zealand and all over the world.