© 2012 Cardiff Scientific Society

Abstract

 

Art, both visual and technical, complement medical science and the practice of surgery. The relationship is well illustrated in the speciality of endocrine surgery, dealing with disorders of the ductless glands. Glands, which include the thyroid, parathyroid, adrenals, pancreas and gastrointestinal tract, secrete into the circulation hormones which regulate and control a wide range of physiological functions. Endocrine disease may be characterised by deficiency or excess of hormone secretion, the latter frequently associated with organ enlargement or tumour development. Many of these conditions are amenable to curative surgical intervention.

 

Prior to surgery, accurate diagnosis and tumour localisation are mandatory, frequently requiring close cooperation with biochemists, endocrinologists, radiologists, nuclear medicine specialists, pathologists and often other basic scientists. Recently, virtual reality techniques have been employed to facilitate pre-operative planning in complex cases. Further impetus to the speciality has been derived from the remarkable explosion of endoscopic and minimally invasive surgical techniques.

 

The Art and Science of Endocrine Surgery

Professor Malcolm H. Wheeler MD FRCS

Retired Professor of Endocrine Surgery, University

Hospital of Wales