Public Service

Northland DHB General Surgery

Description

What is General Surgery?

The role of the General Surgical Department varies from hospital to hospital, but in broad terms general surgery can be said to deal with a wide range of conditions within the abdomen, breast, neck, skin and, in many hospitals, vascular (blood vessel) system.

While the name would suggest that the focus of general surgery is to perform operations, often this is not the case. Many patients are referred to surgeons with conditions that do not need surgical procedures, but merely require counselling or medical treatment.

Referral Expectations

When you come to your appointment, your surgeon will ask questions about your illness and examine you to try to determine or confirm the diagnosis. This process may also require a number of tests (e.g. blood tests, x-rays, scans etc). Sometimes this can all be done during one visit, but for some conditions this will take several follow-up appointments. Occasionally some tests are arranged even before your appointment to try to speed up the process.

Once a diagnosis has been made, your surgeon will discuss treatment with you. In some instances this will mean surgery, while other cases can be managed with medication and advice. If surgery is advised, the steps involved in the surgical process and the likely outcome are usually discussed with you at this time.

Common Conditions

Skin Disorders

Skin conditions dealt with by general surgery include lumps, tumours and other lesions of the skin and underlying tissues... More
Endocrine Disorders

Abnormalities of the endocrine system treated by general surgery include disorders of the pancreas and adrenal glands in the abdomen and the thyroid and parathyroid glands in the neck. These are often very complex conditions requiring extensive investigations... More
Breast Disorders

General surgery covers breast diseases including breast cancer. These conditions are often initially dealt with in a specialised breast clinic which is able to perform a number of investigations (e.g... More
Gastrointestinal Disorders

Conditions of the gut dealt with by general surgery include disorders of the oesophagus, stomach, small bowel, large bowel and anus... More
Colonoscopy

This is a procedure which allows the doctor to see inside your large bowel and examine the surfaces directly, and take biopsies (samples of tissue) if needed. Treatment of conditions can also be undertaken... More
Salivary Gland Disorders

Disorders of the salivary glands may be dealt with by the general surgical department or the ENT (ORL) department depending on the local policy. More
Gallstones

General surgery covers some disorders of the liver and biliary system... More
Hernias

A hernia exists where part of the abdominal wall is weakened, and the contents of the abdomen push through to the outside... More
Vascular Disorders

Vascular (blood vessel) disorders treated by general surgery include varicose veins, blockages and narrowings in the arteries or abnormal swellings of the arteries (aneurysm)... More

Document Downloads

Patient Information Sheet for CT Colonography (CTC) (PDF, 179.7 KB)

Note: PDF downloads require the free Adobe Reader application to view.

Consultants

Mr Moses Balabyeki

General, Breast, Hepatobiliary surgeon

Available at Whangarei Hospital, Kaitaia Hospital

Dr Vanessa Blair

General Surgeon - Skin/Breast

Available at Whangarei Hospital, Kaitaia Hospital, Bay of Islands Hospital

Dr Peter Milsom

General Surgeon - Endoscopy

Available at Whangarei Hospital, Kaitaia Hospital

Mr Shaun Purkiss

General Surgeon - Upper Gastrointestinal/Breast

Available at Whangarei Hospital, Kaitaia Hospital

Mr Mark Sanders

General Surgeon - Colorectal, Clinical Head of Service

Available at Whangarei Hospital, Dargaville Hospital

Dr Usha Shan

General Surgeon - Breast

Available at Whangarei Hospital, Kaitaia Hospital, Bay of Islands Hospital

Note: Please note above that some people are not available at all locations.

Website

www.northlanddhb.org.nz

Locations Information

Whangarei Hospital
Northland

Contact Details

Phone (09) 430 4100
Fax (09) 430 4115 during working hours Fax: (09) 430 4132 after hours

Feedback, compliments, complaints and suggestions

Street Address

Whangarei Hospital
2 Hospital Road
Whangarei

Postal Address

Whangarei Hospital
Private Bag 9742
Whangarei 0148

Map & more information

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