Doctor-Reviewed Health Guides: Conditions, Procedures & Health News

Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is a cancer treatment that aims high doses of radiation at a small tumor with pinpoint accuracy, usually in 1 to 5 sessions over 1 to 2 weeks. It needs no cuts or anesthesia and can treat some small lung, prostate, liver and pancreatic tumors. Most people resume normal activities within 1 to 2 days.

A stem cell transplant, also called a bone marrow transplant, is a procedure that replaces unhealthy blood-forming stem cells with healthy ones to treat certain blood cancers, blood disorders and autoimmune diseases. An autologous transplant uses your own stem cells, and an allogeneic transplant uses a donor's. The infusion is painless, and recovery takes about two months to a year.

Spermicide is a hormone-free, over-the-counter birth control you put in the vagina before sex that stops sperm from moving so they can't reach an egg. It comes as a gel, cream, foam, suppository, film, sponge or coated condom. Used alone, it fails for about 21 in 100 women each year, so pair it with a condom. It doesn't prevent STIs.

SVT ablation is a procedure that treats supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) by guiding a thin catheter from the groin to the heart and heating or freezing the cells sending faulty signals. The tiny scar it leaves stops those signals. It works in 90% to 95% of people with most types of SVT, and most return to normal activities the next day.

Spinal decompression therapy is a group of treatments that relieve back pain by taking pressure off the spinal cord and nerves. It treats bulging or herniated disks, pinched nerves, sciatica and spinal stenosis. Doctors start with nonsurgical options like physical therapy and traction, and consider surgery only if those don't help.

A commissurotomy is heart surgery that widens a mitral valve narrowed by rheumatic heart disease, using small cuts to separate the valve's fused flaps so blood flows more easily. Doctors usually try a less invasive balloon procedure first. Most people stay in hospital about a week, and many need a valve replacement later in life.

A spinal cord stimulator (SCS) is a small implanted device that sends a mild electrical current into the spinal cord to help the brain ignore chronic pain signals. It is used when other treatments fail or opioids are unsafe. A temporary trial comes first; if pain drops by at least half, a permanent device is implanted.

An episiotomy is a small cut made in the perineum, the area between the vaginal opening and anus, to widen the opening during vaginal birth. It is no longer routine and is used only when needed, such as fetal distress or forceps or vacuum delivery. Dissolvable stitches repair it, and healing takes about one month.

A support group is a safe space where people who have been through similar experiences meet to share, listen and help each other feel less alone. Groups meet in person or online and are led by professionals or trained peers. They work best as an add-on to regular care, not a replacement for medical treatment or therapy.

Epilepsy surgery is brain surgery that stops or reduces seizures, or makes them less severe, when anti-seizure medicines and other treatments have not controlled them. Surgeons may remove, disconnect or destroy the brain tissue where seizures start, or implant a device that interrupts seizure signals. It does not cure epilepsy, but it may significantly improve quality of life.

Sulfonylureas are oral medicines for type 2 diabetes that trigger the pancreas to release more insulin, which lowers blood sugar. Common examples are glimepiride, glipizide, glyburide and gliclazide, taken once or twice a day. The main risk is low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), and they do not treat type 1 diabetes.

An epidural steroid injection (ESI) is a procedure that places anti-inflammatory steroid medicine into the epidural space around irritated spinal nerve roots to ease neck, back, arm, or leg pain. It usually brings temporary relief lasting days to months, helps about half of people, and is generally limited to two or three injections per year.

Sulfonamides, also called sulfa drugs, are synthetic medicines that share a sulfur-containing part in their chemical structure. Sulfonamide antibiotics stop bacteria from making folate, and other sulfonamides treat high blood pressure, diabetes, gout, migraine, seizures and HIV. About 3% to 8% of people are allergic to a sulfonamide, but one such allergy doesn't mean you're allergic to all.

Surgical mesh is a screen-like medical device placed during hernia repair to reinforce weak or damaged muscle, usually in the belly or groin. Your own tissue grows into the mesh as you heal, making the repair stronger and lowering the chance the hernia comes back. Rare complications include infection, long-term pain, mesh breakage, rejection or erosion.

Aortic valve replacement is open-heart surgery that swaps a narrowed or leaky aortic valve for a new mechanical or biological valve. Surgery takes 2 to 4 hours, followed by about 5 days in hospital and 4 to 8 weeks of recovery. For most people, the risk of serious complications, including stroke or death, is 1% to 2%.

A suprapubic catheter is a thin, flexible tube that drains urine from the bladder through a small cut in the lower belly, just above the pubic bone, instead of through the urethra. Placement usually takes less than 20 minutes. A long-term catheter should be flushed at least once a day and changed at least every 4 weeks.

Strabismus surgery is an operation on the muscles that move the eye, used to treat misaligned eyes when other treatments haven't worked. A surgeon tightens or loosens one or more eye muscles so both eyes stay centered and work together. Most people go home the same day, and the eyes heal completely in two to three months.

Stimulants are drugs that speed up your central nervous system, making you more alert, focused and energetic while raising your heart rate and blood pressure. Prescription stimulants treat ADHD, narcolepsy and obesity; nonmedical ones include caffeine, nicotine, cocaine and methamphetamine. Most can cause dependence or addiction, so take prescribed stimulants exactly as directed.

A sternotomy is a surgical cut through the breastbone (sternum) that lets a surgeon reach the heart and nearby blood vessels, most often for bypass surgery. The bone is split, held open, then closed with 8 to 12 steel wires. It takes about 8 weeks to heal, with lifting limited to 10 pounds and no driving for about a month.

A splint is a medical device that holds an injured or weak body part still so it can heal. It treats sprains, strains, tendon and ligament injuries, some broken bones and dislocations, and supports joints in some long-term conditions. Most people wear one for a few weeks to a month or longer, as their provider advises.

Spinal fusion is surgery that permanently joins two or more vertebrae so they stop moving separately, making the spine more stable and easing pressure on the spinal cord and nerves. It can relieve pain, numbness, tingling and weakness. The operation takes about 1 to 5 hours, and doctors usually suggest it only after other treatments have not worked.

Speech therapy is a treatment that helps children and adults talk, understand language and communicate more clearly, and it can also help with swallowing, memory and problem-solving. A speech-language pathologist designs exercises for each person's needs. There is no single right age to start, but children do best when they start early and practice at home.

Sperm banking is collecting, freezing and storing sperm in a special facility so you can use it later to have biological children. A tested semen sample is frozen in liquid nitrogen at -196 °C and stays usable for many years. People often bank sperm before cancer treatment or a vasectomy, after age 40, or with a low sperm count.

SNRIs (serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors) are FDA-approved antidepressants that raise the activity of serotonin and norepinephrine to improve mood, ease anxiety and relieve some types of chronic pain. Five are available in the United States. Most people notice benefits after 4–6 weeks at the right dose, and they should never be stopped suddenly.