First Incision

On this episode, we talk with Mary Ann Johnson, an upper gastrointestinal surgeon, about oesophageal and gastric cancer.  Topics covered include -        the role of EUS in the workup of eosophageal and gastric cancer?  -        when to use the different types of oesophagectomy -        in regards to oesophageal SCC,  what chemotherapy is given?  -        which patients with oesophageal SCC are tr...

This episode introduces us to oesophageal (or esophageal for our North American friends) cancer. We take a look at both adenocarcinoma and SCC in more detail. Including risk factors, presentation, workup, management, follow-up and prognosis. Keep an eye out for next week's episode where we will be joined by an UGI surgeon to answer some of the burning questions that come up in this episode! D...

On this episode, we discuss gastric cancer. Everything from workup, to risk factors, pathophysiology, and various treatments.  This bigger picture episode will give you the tools you need to answer questions about gastric cancer for the exam. Disclaimer The information in this podcast is intended as a revision aid for the purposes of the General Surgery Fellowship Exam. This information is not to...

In this episode, Dr Alex Craven takes myself and Dr Steven Kunz (SET trainee) through specific exercises and techniques focussed on deliberate practice for the VIVA exam. Be prepared for some awesome tools you can take with you and apply to your preparation and study groups to get the most out of your time preparing for the exam. Disclaimer The information in this podcast is intended as a revision...

In this episode, disorders of the oesophagus (or esophagus for those Northern American listeners) takes centre stage. We talk about Barrett' Oesophagus, including the diagnosis, classification, seattle protocol of biopsies,  and what to do with different histopathological types of Barrett's. Next is a quick summary of Eosinophilic Oesophagitis, before we dive into benign oesophageal stri...

This week's episode explores oesophageal motility disorders. We are covering the topics of: - Achalasia - Hypertensive lower oesophageal sphincter - Diffuse oesophageal spasm - Nutcracker oesophagus - Ineffective oesophageal motility How they present, how to diagnose them, and their different treatments. We also talk a little about POEM (per-oral endoscopic myotomy) and the surgical principle...

Join us this week for our first deep dive into upper gastrointestinal surgery and the oesophagogastric module. Everything you ever wanted to know and more about gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD), hiatus hernia and gastric volvulus Disclaimer The information in this podcast is intended as a revision aid for the purposes of the General Surgery Fellowship Exam. This information is not to be co...

Get ready for a new topic on First Incision! We are going to tackle the massive topic of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery. To kick it off, lets ease into it by going through the anatomy and embryology of the oesophagus and stomach. Disclaimer The information in this podcast is intended as a revision aid for the purposes of the General Surgery Fellowship Exam. This information is not to be considered...

The is the second episode in our series on preparing for, and sitting the fellowship exam. Dr Alex Craven tells us everything we need to know about the VIVA exam. He goes through what to expect in each of the different sections, and shares practical tips about how to get the most out of studying and preparing for this exam. Disclaimer The information in this podcast is intended as a revision aid f...

The first in our series on preparing for, and sitting the fellowship exam. In this first of two episodes with Dr Alex Craven, he tells us everything we need to know about the written exam - covering the spots and short answer questions.  But more importantly, he shares some practical tips about how to get the most out of our study. Disclaimer The information in this podcast is intended as a revisi...

This weeks' episode explores everything you need to know about the subtypes, classification, workup and management of Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS). Disclaimer The information in this podcast is intended as a revision aid for the purposes of the General Surgery Fellowship Exam. This information is not to be considered to include any recommendations or medical advice by the author or publish...

Join us today for a discussion about special populations in breast cancer. This includes: - pregnancy associated breast cancer - considering fertility in breast cancer treatment, and - what to do if you encounter a positive axillary node but an unknown primary. Disclaimer The information in this podcast is intended as a revision aid for the purposes of the General Surgery Fellowship Exam. This inf...

Caroline Baker is the director of Breast Surgery at St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne.  She has taken the time to talk about operative breast surgery with us, going over the four core operations for the Breast Curriculum: - Wide Local Excision - Mastectomy - Axillary Lymph Node Dissection, and - Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy We cover not only the operative steps, but key information to consider...

For our lucky number SEVEN episode this week we talk about male breast diseases, including: - gynaecomastia: the various causes, who to workup, and how to treat it.  - and male breast cancer Disclaimer The information in this podcast is intended as a revision aid for the purposes of the General Surgery Fellowship Exam. This information is not to be considered to include any recommendations or medi...

This episode covers everything you need to know about three high-yield breast topics. - Nipple Discharge - Breast Infections - Galactocele Reference: https://www.aafp.org/afp/2012/0601/p1073.html  Evaluation and Management of Galactorrhea. Huang et al. Am Fam Physician. 2012. Jun 1;85(11): 1073-1080 Disclaimer The information in this podcast is intended as a revision aid for the purposes of the Ge...

This guest episode with Dr Jocelyn Lippey answers all of the questions we had about breast cancer, as well as covers some practical tips for preparing for the fellowship exam. Jocelyn is an incredible breast surgeon who is passionate about providing expert care to her patients.  She is also a fantastic teacher, researcher and all-around lovely person, and we are so grateful to her for giving up he...

Let's talk about the treatment of early breast cancer. This episode covers: - the importance of the MDT in breast cancer treatment - surgery - what to do with the axilla - radiotherapy - the MDT approach - chemotherapy - endocrine therapy - neoadjuvant versus adjuvant treatment And the importance of the MDT approach in breast cancer treatment This area is super complex - but this episode aims...

This week we're staying with the theme of 'Breast Pathology' with an introduction to Early Breast Cancer. We cover the epidemiology, presentation, workup, hormone expression, classification, staging, gene expression profiling, and genetic breast cancers. This episode is content heavy for the study-lovers! And is a great introduction to the next episode where we'll delve deeper...

Continuing the 'breast' module from the general surgical curriculum, this episode takes a deep dive into benign breast diseases. We talk about non-proliferative, proliferative and atypical proliferative lesions, exploring what they are, and what to do about them.  Special mention at the end about papillomas and phyllodes tumours. Disclaimer The information in this podcast is intended as...

We're kicking off our study with the 'breast' module from the general surgical curriculum. Our first episode gives us an introduction to this topic by covering clinically relevant breast anatomy and embryology. This episode also introduces me, why I'm doing this podcast and what to expect in the future. References Last's Anatomy Ninth Edition. R. McMinn. Churchill Livingst...