A podcast about preparing for the General Surgery Fellowship Exam. Each year, Australian and New Zealand surgical trainees sit this exam in order to gain a 'fellowship' in General Surgery. This podcast follows one trainee doctor on her journey towards FRACS (Fellowship Royal Australian College of Surgeons). The series correspond to the different modules from the surgical curriculum. Series 1-Breast Surgery, 2-Exam Specific Episodes; 3-Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery; 4-Colorectal Surgery; 5-Hepatobiliary Surgery; 6-Endocrine Surgery; 7-Trauma; 8-Skin and Soft Tissue; 9-Vascular; 10-Anatomy (Limb); 11-Surgical Oncology; 12-Critically Ill Surgical Patient
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This week's episode kicks off the endocrine content with the thyroid. In this episode we cover: - Physiology of thyroid hormone and iodine metabolism - Hyper and hypothyroidism - Interpreting thyroid function tests - Thyroiditis, covering: hashimoto's subacute, reidel's, postpartum, radiation and amiodarone thyroiditis - Thyrotoxicosis, covering: grave’s disease including thyroid eye disease, the toxic multinodular goitre, toxic adenoma/toxic solitary nodule, and amiodarone thyroiditis Disclaime...
This episode covers the anatomy and embryology of key endocrine organs, including the thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal glands. It details their locations, blood supply, and lymphatic drainage, as well as the embryological origins of these glands, offering insights valuable for surgical preparation and understanding endocrine function. The discussion includes surgical considerations like identifying and protecting the recurrent laryngeal nerve during thyroidectomy and managing parathyroid gland devascularization.
This week's episode covers chronic liver failure: - the causes - pathophysiology of what actually happens when the liver fails - diagnosis of chronic liver disease and cirrhosis - portal hypertension diagnosis and management - grading classification systems (Child-Pugh-Turcott and MELD scoring) - the perioperative management of a patient with chronic liver disease Disclaimer The information in this podcast is intended as a revision aid for the purposes of the General Surgery Fellowship Exam. Thi...
This week's episode covers liver infections, including pyogenic liver abscesses, hydatid cysts, amoebic abscesses and other rarer types of liver infections. We discuss the pathophysiology, lifecycle of the hydatid parasite, microbiology, diagnosis and treatment of these infections. 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 advi...
This week's episode covers all surgical topics related to the spleen: - anatomy - embryology - pathophysiology and function - all the things that can go wrong with the spleen including infections, cysts, splenomegaly, neoplastic conditions (primary and secondary), haematological disorders, congestive disorders, immunological disorders and trauma. - surgery for spleens including laparoscopic and open splenectomy - OPSI (overwhelming post-splenectomy infections) - splenic artery aneurysms Disclaim...
This week's episode covers chronic pancreatitis - what is it - risk factors - pathophysiology of it's aetiology and complications - how it presents - diagnosis - imaging findings - complications - and management 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 publisher or any other person. The listener should ...
This episode covers acute pancreatitis. - risk factors - aetiology - pathophysiology (a beloved question in the exam) - workup - severity classification (including the apache score, modified glasgow critiera, ranson's criteria, IAP/APA guidelines, and revised Atlanta classification) - radiological classification (revised Atlanta) and radiological severity classification systems - management of pancreatitis --- including acute management which addresses fluid resuscitation, nutrition, ERCP, as we...
This episode covers pancreatic cancer. Topics discussed include: - risk factors - familial pancreatic cancer syndromes - pathophysiology - presentation - workup - staging - and treatment including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery and palliative approaches 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 publ...
This episode delves into liver metastases and liver surgery. We discuss both colorectal and non-colorectal liver metastases For colorectal liver metastases we cover: - epidemiology - how they are diagnosed and how to work them up - medical treatment including chemotherapy both neoadjuvantly and adjuvantly - the decision making on who to operate on, and the treatment sequence when considering the colorectal primary - other liver targeted treatments We talk about liver surgery including: - preoper...
This week's operative episode covers laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and some of the intraoperative pitfalls they might throw your way in the exam. Topics covered, how to avoid them, and how to deal with them if they happen include every way your day can go from bad to worse when doing a laparoscopic cholecystectomy: - bleeding (hepatic artery, portal vein, middle hepatic vein) - anatomical variations - ureteric catheter not flushing - the 'difficult' gallbladder' - the dreaded bile duct injury - ...
We're taking a break this week from the HPB module to talk about the exam. Specifically how to manage your stress and maximise your performance in this awesome discussion with Dr Sarah Dalton. Dr Dalton is a performance coach and works with trainees on how to use the power of their mindset and thinking to overcome the issues we all face leading up to these sorts of exams. I really enjoyed our discussion and hope you get something out of this episode that helps you as well! This is the 'ABC Conve...
This episode covers hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Topics covered include: - Epidemiology - Risk factors - Presentation - Surveillance - Histopathology including of pre-neoplastic / precursor lesions such as microscopic dysplastic foci and macroscopic dysplastic nodules - Diagnosis and imaging (including LIRADS) - Staging (TNM and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Staging System) - Treatment options - Follow-up - and Prognosis Happy studying! Disclaimer The information in this podcast is intended a...
Explore the world of non-malignant liver lesions for the General Surgery Fellowship exam. This episode covers hepatic cysts, focal nodular hyperplasia, hepatocellular adenomas, and hemangiomas, explaining their pathophysiology, characteristic imaging features, and management strategies. Learn how to differentiate these benign lesions from malignant tumors and understand when intervention is necessary versus simple monitoring.
This episode discusses benign biliary strictures, their causes (iatrogenic, gallstone-related, inflammatory, congenital), and management. It covers iatrogenic injuries post-cholecystectomy, Maritzi syndrome, primary sclerosing cholangitis, parasitic infections, HIV/AIDS cholangiopathy, IgG4-related disease, biliary atresia and choledochal cysts. The podcast also reviews classifications, diagnostic approaches, and treatment options including endoscopic and surgical interventions, emphasizing prevention and specialist referral.
This episode covers cholangiocarcinoma: - the different types (intrahepatic, hilar and distal bile duct) - classification systems (Bismuth, TNM) - risk factors - presentation - imaging / workup - features of operability - management: including, operative, medical, interventional and palliative 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 ...
This episode focuses on pancreatic cystic neoplasms, crucial for the General Surgery Fellowship exam. It details the classification into mucinous (IPMNs, MCNs) and non-mucinous (SCNs, SPTs) types, outlining their demographic profiles, radiological appearances, FNA findings, malignant potential, and management strategies, including guidelines like Fukuoka. It also briefly mentions other neoplastic causes of cystic lesions.
This week's episode covers three gallbladder pathologies from the hepatobiliary module of the curriculum: - gallbladder adenomyomatosis - gallbladder polyps and - gallbladder cancer This episode covers the histopathology, pathophysiology, imaging findings, and what to do when you suspect gallbladder cancer preoperatively, intraoperatively and post-operatively. Disclaimer The information in this podcast is intended as a revision aid for the purposes of the General Surgery Fellowship Exam. This in...
Welcome to the first episode of our new season! Moving onto hepatobiliary and pancreatic topics. This week we talk about liver, biliary and pancreatic anatomy, embryology and clinically important variations. Enjoy! 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 publisher or any other person. The listener shou...
This episode covers everything COLITIS! - infectious colitis - including a quick touch on common infectious causes and how to treat them - pseudomembranous colitis and clostridium difficile infection - diverticulitis in all it's glory - be prepared for some pathophysiology, classification systems (Hinchey I'm looking at you), and discussion about treatment - and to round them off we take a look at ischaemic colitis! If you want to learn more about ischaemic colitis - feel free to read this aweso...
This week's mismatched topics (brought to you by boredom and Melbourne's 4th COVID lockdown) are: - Volvulus: including sigmoid and caecal volvulus. What are they, how do they present, and how do we treat them? AND - Pilonidal disease: what is it, pathophysiology, how it can present, how it is managed, and some operative steps for a Karydakis / Modified Bascom operation. Thanks for the suggestion of the website pilonidal.org! It's a great resource to send your patients to and has some great reso...
Finishing off the perianal content for the colorectal module with perianal fistula and hemorrhoids. Everything you ever wanted to know about all the classification systems, treatment options, and some operative descriptions for these conditions. 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 publisher or any ...
This week's episode covers the topics of faecal incontinence and rectal prolapse. These conditions are commonly encountered in the general surgical clinic. We cover the pathophysiology, workup and treatments of these conditions. 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 publisher or any other person. The...
This episode covers anal cancer and perianal paget's disease. We cover the presentation, workup, aetiology, and treatment of these diseases. Special attention is given to the management of precursor lesions including anal intraepithelial neoplasia (now low and high grade squamous intra-epithelial lesions). Also a corrections corner about last week's episode! Disclaimer The information in this podcast is intended as a revision aid for the purposes of the General Surgery Fellowship Exam. This info...
This episode covers large bowel obstruction and pseudoobstruction. We go into the causes, presentation, workup, and management of both of these conditions, as well as some great perioperative pearls of wisdom. 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 publisher or any other person. The listener should co...
This episode takes us away from IBD and into the realm of perianal pathology. Although not the prettiest side of general surgery, these topics are commonly encountered and definitely fair game for the exam! This episode covers: - Anal fissures - Perianal abscess, and - Pruritis ani We cover the presentation, workup, diagnosis and management of these conditions. We also cover the surgical steps of botox for fissures, lateral internal sphincterotomy, and incision and drainage of perianal abscess. ...
This special addition to our IBD episodes covers three bonus topics: - Perianal Crohn's Disease - IBD and Pregnancy - Indeterminate Colitis Enjoy! 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 publisher or any other person. The listener should conduct and rely upon their own independent analysis of the infor...
In this episode we cover Crohn's Disease. - presentations: both gastrointestinal and extra-intestinal - differential diagnoses - workup and diagnosis - histopathological findings - macroscopic features - management - surgical tips and pearls - malignancy risk and surveillance 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 ...
We are diving back into the colorectal module from the curriculum this week to talk about Ulcerative Colitis. This episode goes into the presentation, endoscopy findings, histopathology, medical and surgical treatment options, and more! 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 publisher or any other per...
This episode features Dr. Emily Olive, a successful 2020 General Surgery Fellowship exam candidate, offering a comprehensive guide to the challenging exam. She provides insights on mental health, effective study routines, and strategies for tackling both written and oral components. The discussion extends beyond the exam to cover the critical roles of mentoring and supporting women in the demanding field of surgery, offering valuable advice for current and future surgical trainees.
This episode has everything: - Carolyn Vasey (enough said - an incredible colorectal surgeon from Ballarat in Victoria) - Discussions about colorectal cancer surgery, what to do with the splenic flexure tumour, stomas, parastomal hernias, endoscopy and tattooing for rectal cancers, total neoadjuvant treatment, and watch and wait - Chats about surgery and parenthood, and male champions of change; and - Talk about research and manky belly buttons What more could you want!? Carolyn's e-mail is caro...
