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Medical Procedures Explained
Facing a test, treatment or surgery? These plain-language guides explain what each procedure is, why it's done, how to prepare, what happens during it, the possible risks, and what recovery looks like, from minimally invasive treatments to major surgery.
Every guide is medically reviewed by Dr. Baraa Alnahhal, MD, and based on published medical sources. Use them to prepare questions for your own doctor; they don't replace personal medical advice.
Browse procedure guides
Double Jaw Surgery (Bimaxillary Osteotomy): Procedure and Recovery
Double jaw surgery, also called bimaxillary osteotomy, is an operation that repositions and reshapes both the upper and lower jaws. It's used for a severe bad bite that affects chewing, speech or breathing and for obstructive sleep apnea. Most people return to daily routines within six weeks, but full recovery can take up to a year.
Dr. Baraa Alnahhal
6 days ago5 min read
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Kyphoplasty: Procedure, Recovery, Results and Risks
Kyphoplasty, also called balloon kyphoplasty, is a minimally invasive procedure that treats painful compression fractures in the spine. A surgeon guides a needle into the broken vertebra, inflates a balloon to restore its height, then fills the space with bone cement. Most people go home the same day, and about 92% report better pain relief, often within 48 hours.
Dr. Baraa Alnahhal
Nov 46 min read
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Circumcision: Procedure, Methods, Recovery and Risks
Circumcision is surgery to remove the foreskin, the skin that covers the head of the penis. It's most often done within the first days after birth, but older children and adults can have it too. It takes 20 minutes. Newborns heal within 10 days and adults within two to three weeks, and fewer than 3% of circumcisions have complications.
Dr. Baraa Alnahhal
Nov 47 min read
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Appendectomy: Laparoscopic vs Open Surgery, Recovery and Risks
An appendectomy is surgery to remove an inflamed or infected appendix, the small tube-shaped organ attached to the colon. It's the standard treatment for appendicitis and is usually done within 24 hours of diagnosis, laparoscopically or as open surgery. The operation takes an hour, both methods succeed more than 95% of the time, and full recovery takes six weeks.
Dr. Baraa Alnahhal
Nov 47 min read
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Trendelenburg Position: Uses, Variations, Angles and Risks
The Trendelenburg position is a head-down tilt in which you lie on your back on an operating table or hospital bed with your head angled at least 15° lower than your feet. This gives surgeons more room for lower abdominal and pelvic surgery and makes it easier to place a central line in the neck or upper chest.
Dr. Baraa Alnahhal
Nov 47 min read
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Photodynamic Therapy (PDT): Uses, Procedure, Recovery and Risks
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a treatment that combines a light-sensitive drug with a special light to destroy abnormal cells, such as precancerous skin patches and some early cancers. The light triggers a reaction that kills the targeted cells while sparing most healthy tissue. A session lasts 15 to 90 minutes, and treated skin heals in two to six weeks.
Dr. Baraa Alnahhal
Nov 47 min read
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Upper Endoscopy (EGD): Purpose, Procedure, Preparation and Recovery
An upper endoscopy, also called an EGD, is a test that uses a lighted camera on a flexible tube to look inside the esophagus, stomach and duodenum. It helps find the cause of symptoms such as pain, heartburn or trouble swallowing, and tools can take biopsies. It takes 30 to 60 minutes, and most people receive sedation.
Dr. Baraa Alnahhal
Nov 38 min read
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Nephrectomy: Purpose, Types, Procedure, Recovery and Risks
A nephrectomy is surgery to remove part or all of one kidney, most often to treat a kidney tumor. A partial nephrectomy removes the diseased part; a radical nephrectomy removes the whole kidney. Most people stay in the hospital one to five days and resume normal activities six weeks later. You can live a full life with one healthy kidney.
Dr. Baraa Alnahhal
Nov 311 min read
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Elbow Surgery: Types, Procedure, Risks and Recovery
Elbow surgery is any operation on the bones or soft tissues of the elbow joint, usually done to treat an injury or condition that has not improved with other treatments. It's often done with arthroscopy, which uses a tiny camera and small incisions. Most elbow surgeries take one to two hours, and you usually go home the same day.
Dr. Baraa Alnahhal
Nov 310 min read
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Hemorrhoidectomy: Purpose, Procedure, Recovery and Risks
A hemorrhoidectomy is surgery to remove hemorrhoids, the swollen blood vessels in the anus. It's usually saved for hemorrhoids that prolapse, clot or keep coming back after less invasive treatments. Most people go home the same day, but recovery takes two to four weeks and can be painful. Hemorrhoids removed this way generally do not come back.
Dr. Baraa Alnahhal
Nov 310 min read
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Low Anterior Resection (LAR): Rectal Cancer Surgery, Risks and Recovery
A low anterior resection (LAR) is surgery to treat rectal cancer that removes the cancerous part of the rectum and then reconnects the bowel so the anus stays in place. A temporary ostomy is sometimes made while the join heals. The main trade-off is low anterior resection syndrome (LARS), bowel changes such as frequent or urgent bowel movements.
Dr. Baraa Alnahhal
Nov 38 min read
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Credé Maneuver: How to Do It, Who Should Avoid It and Safer Alternatives
The Credé maneuver is a technique that uses hand pressure on the lower belly to help push urine out of the bladder when a health problem makes it hard to pee. It's not considered safe long term and is meant only as a bridge until a better method, such as a catheter, is in place.
Dr. Baraa Alnahhal
Nov 37 min read
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TIF Procedure (Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication): How It Works, Risks and Recovery
A TIF procedure (transoral incisionless fundoplication) is an endoscopic treatment for chronic acid reflux (GERD) and small hiatal hernias. Working through the mouth with no cuts, a provider folds the top of the stomach around the lower esophagus and fastens it, tightening the valve between them. Early results suggest it works for about 80% of people after five years.
Dr. Baraa Alnahhal
Nov 37 min read
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Corneal Cross-Linking (CXL): Purpose, Procedure, Risks and Recovery
Corneal cross-linking (CXL) is a minor eye procedure that strengthens the cornea using riboflavin (vitamin B2) eye drops and focused ultraviolet (UV) light. It's used to stop keratoconus and other conditions in which the cornea thins and bulges from getting worse. The procedure takes about 60 minutes, and success rates are around 95%.
Dr. Baraa Alnahhal
Nov 38 min read
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Rectocele Repair: Surgery Types, Procedure, Risks and Recovery
Rectocele repair is surgery to fix a bulge of the rectum into the vagina, which happens when the tissue wall between them becomes thin and weak. A surgeon strengthens the wall with stitches, usually through the vagina. Most people recover in three to six weeks, and about 75% to 90% have fewer symptoms afterward.
Dr. Baraa Alnahhal
Nov 37 min read
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Bunion Surgery (Bunionectomy): Types, Procedure, Recovery and Risks
Bunion surgery, or bunionectomy, is an operation that removes a bunion from the big toe joint and realigns the toe. It usually takes an hour or less and is typically outpatient. Bones heal in about six to 12 weeks, most activities resume after about three months, and swelling can last six to nine months.
Dr. Baraa Alnahhal
Nov 36 min read
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Hemorrhoidopexy: What It Is, Procedure & Recovery
A hemorrhoidopexy, also called stapled hemorrhoidopexy, is surgery for large or prolapsed internal hemorrhoids. Instead of cutting the hemorrhoids out, the surgeon uses a stapler to lift them into the rectum and cut off their blood supply. It takes 30 to 45 minutes, most people go home the same day, and healing takes a couple of weeks.
Dr. Baraa Alnahhal
Nov 35 min read
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Diskectomy: Types, Procedure, Recovery Timeline and Success Rate
A diskectomy is spine surgery that removes part or all of a damaged spinal disk, most often a herniated disk that is pressing on a nerve. It usually takes one to two hours and is often an outpatient procedure. Most people return to routine activities by six weeks, and lumbar diskectomies succeed in 60% to 90% of cases.
Dr. Baraa Alnahhal
Nov 38 min read
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Living Donor Liver Transplant: Who Can Donate, Surgery, Risks and Recovery
A living donor liver transplant is surgery in which a healthy adult gives part of their liver, usually one lobe, to a person with liver failure. The donor's remaining liver and the transplanted section grow back to full size within a few months. Donors are 18 to 60, in good health, and need six to eight weeks before normal activities.
Dr. Baraa Alnahhal
Nov 39 min read
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Lower Endoscopy: Colonoscopy vs. Sigmoidoscopy, Prep, Procedure and Recovery
A lower endoscopy is a test that lets a doctor see inside the rectum and colon. A gastroenterologist passes an endoscope, a thin tube with a camera, through the anus to look for bleeding, inflammation or polyps, and can remove polyps or take tissue samples during the same exam. Colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy are both types of lower endoscopy.
Dr. Baraa Alnahhal
Nov 36 min read
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Cyst Removal: Drainage vs. Surgery, What to Expect and Recovery
Cyst removal is a quick, usually outpatient procedure that takes out a fluid-filled pocket under the skin. A provider either drains the cyst through a small cut, which may let it return, or surgically removes the whole cyst and its sac, which lowers the chance of recurrence. Never try to pop or cut out a cyst at home.
Dr. Baraa Alnahhal
Nov 37 min read
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Ileostomy: Types, Surgery, Recovery, Stoma Care and Reversal
An ileostomy is surgery that disconnects the end of the small intestine (the ileum) and connects it to a new opening in the abdomen called a stoma. Stool then leaves the body through the stoma and collects in an ileostomy bag. Recovery takes six to eight weeks, and a temporary ileostomy may be reversed three to 12 months later.
Dr. Baraa Alnahhal
Nov 38 min read
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Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL): Procedure, Recovery, Risks and Results
Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) is a noninvasive procedure that uses high-energy shock waves to break kidney stones into small pieces that can leave the body in the urine. It's often used for stones larger than 5 millimeters that cannot pass on their own. Success rates range from 30% to 90%, depending on the stone and your body.
Dr. Baraa Alnahhal
Nov 39 min read
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Laser Cordotomy: Procedure, Recovery and Results for Vocal Cord Paralysis
A laser cordotomy is a minimally invasive procedure that widens a narrow airway. Working through the mouth, a surgeon uses a laser to make a small cut in one or both vocal cords, creating more space for air to flow between them. It treats bilateral vocal cord paralysis, when both cords stay stuck close together.
Dr. Baraa Alnahhal
Nov 36 min read
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