General & Thoracic Surgery Department

The Department of General and Thoracic Surgery of MC Erebouni adhere to the following principles:

• Surgical treatment is carried out strictly according to the indications, and only if the conservative treatment has not brought the desired effect;
• When choosing a surgery treatment method the preferences is given to organ preserving operations;
• In most cases the sparing operation are performed using endoscopy, endovideosurgery;
• In case of necessity in simultaneous surgery on different organs and systems the method of simultaneous operations are performed by specialists in various subspecialties simultaneously;

The department has created all the conditions for the successful performance of surgery. Operating theaters meets the international standards for sterility maintaining. Contemporary equipping of the Department allows specialists to carry out the surgery intervention of any complexity, improves the quality of care, reduces the risk of complications, and shortens the patient's stay in hospital.

The Department of General and Thoracic Surgery held:

• all kinds of invasive diagnostic procedures, including biopsies of internal organs;
• surgery on the organs of the chest, including thoracoscopic interventions
• surgery on the abdomen with a predominant use of laparoscopic techniques
• surgery on the mammary gland, including organ preserving operations and organ restoration procedures to ensure complete rehabilitation

Abdominal surgery deals with following surgical procedure:

• defects and anomalies of development of the gastrointestinal tract (Hirschsprung's disease, gastrointestinal tract atresia and stenosis, double bowel, Meckel's diverticulum, pyloric stenosis, etc.)
• adhesive disease
• diseases of the stomach and intestines, in case of which all kinds of reconstructive surgeries performed at the department:
  √   gastrectomy with the use of a variety of intervention methods
  √   surgical intervention in case of ulcer bleeding, stomach perforation;
  √   surgery in case of inflammatory bowel disease, resection of small intestine and colon, Crohn's disease complications such as diferent location and types fistulas, stenosis and the formation of abscesses
  √   surgery in case of ulcerative colitis - proctocolectomy with ileoanal anastomosis
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Cystes and hernias of various localization

The department also conducted surgical treatment of liver and biliary tract:

• Malformations of hepatobiliary zone (biliary atresia, choledochal cysts, hemangioma of the liver, etc.)
• calculous cholecystitis
• Portal hypertension
• Splenomegaly

There are also coloproctological intervention  in the following pathologies:

• Malformations and anomalies of the anus and rectum (atresia of the anus and rectum, fistulas of the rectum, cloacal malformation)
• Megarectum
• Scar stenosis of the anus
• pararectal fistulas
• Prolapse of rectal mucosa
• Anal sphincter insufficiency
• Paracoccygeal, presacral cysts

The department also conducts surgery on lungs, bronchus, pleura, diaphragm and other thoracic organs. Contemporary methods of plastic reconstruction of thorax and pleural cavitis are continuously developed and implemented at the department. Great attention is given to the prevention of postoperative complications. The minimal invasive methods of surgery that is modern arsenal of thoracic surgery such as thoracoscopic and endoscopic (WATS) video assisted surgery are widely used at the department too.

Thoracic surgery covers surgical treatment of the following diseases:

• malformations of the broncho-pulmonary system (diaphragmatic hernia, stenosis of the trachea and bronchi, pulmonary atelectasis, cysto- adenomatous malformation, bronchopulmonary cyst, etc.)
• malformations of the upper gastrointestinal (esophageal stenosis, esophageal atresia, tracheo-esophageal fistula, esophageal diverticulum, etc.)
• lung cysts of different etiologies
• benign tumors of the mediastinum
• chest deformity
• Post-traumatic, peptic, post-burn esophageal stenosis, tracheal stenosis of any etiology
• Vascular malformations of lung

The department is widely used also a minimal invasive technologies (up to 70% of thoracic surgery is performed using videothoracoscopy). Maximum preservation of lung tissue is possible to carry out with the help of a neodymium YAG laser, which is especially necessary for removing of multiple metastases of lung.

At the department is introduced plastic surgery for patients with spinal injuries and injuries of spinal canal, with bedsores. Performs all types of breast surgery: breast resizing and the formation of its new forms after the removal or in presence of birth defects.

The department is also successfully conducted laparoscopic and endovideoscopic surgery.

Types of minimal invasive thoracic surgical interventions performed in the department:

1. Thoracoscopic biopsy of lung and the mediastinal lymph nodes;
2. Thoracoscopic removal of tumors and cysts of the mediastinum, including thymectomy in generalized myasthenia gravis;
3. Thoracoscopic surgery for spontaneous pneumothorax, palmar hyperhidrosis, emphysema, pleurisy;
4. All kinds of surgery for benign and malignant tumors of the lung;
5. Complex treatment of cancer and metastatic tumors of the lung, including lung resection using a neodymium YAG laser;
6. All kinds of surgery for tumors and diverticula of the esophagus;
7. Reconstructive surgery of the trachea and bronchi, including surgery for tracheal stenosis and tracheoesophageal fistula;
8. Surgical treatment of hernias of the diaphragm;
9. Surgical treatment of echinococcosis and other parasitic diseases of the lungs.

Also held a mini-invasive abdominal surgery in following cases:

• complicated and non-complicated forms of acute appendicitis.
• periappendicular infiltrates and abscesses.
• acute cholecystitis
• gallstones
• inguinal hernia
• varicose veins of the spermatic cord and the testicle.
• Meckel diverticulum
• intestinal perforation
• adhesive intestinal obstruction

Due to equipping of the Department with modern high quality medical equipment and staffing with highly-professional level of specialist’s team it is possible not only to carry out highly complex, but unique thoracic and abdominal surgery at international standards.