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Resection is the removal of part of a section of the body, often used in surgeries such as removing parts of the intestine or colon. It is preferred over complete removal as it retains enough to function healthily. Aortic aneurysm surgeries may involve confusion between resection and dissection.
Resection is a common term in the surgical world, which often comes to public awareness through the media, especially through medical-themed television programs. Of course, many people also hear this term for the first time when they request surgery and are told that the surgeon will be performing the resection of a body part. It is quite easy to define what is meant by resection. It is the removal of part of a section of the body, but usually not the total removal of something, such as an organ or limb.
There are many types of surgeries that involve resection. Some of the more common ones include removing parts of the intestine or colon. These may be needed to treat some forms of cancer, scarring from conditions such as Crohn’s, or tissue damage from conditions such as diverticulitis. There are clear advantages to resection rather than completely removing something. For example, complete removal of a colon would likely mean a person has to use a colostomy bag for life; extracting only part of the colon could avoid this step.
A lot of organ surgeries can be resections. People who donate part of their liver to others essentially have a small amount rather than the entire liver removed. A healthy person will have their liver regenerated in the next few months and it is impossible to extract an entire liver from a living person if the goal is to sustain life. Instead, a person undergoes a liver resection, giving a small amount while retaining enough to function healthily.
Other forms of surgeries that involve resection techniques include those for aortic aneurysms. The weakened area of the aorta is removed and then the entire aorta is reconnected. Many times, when a section is removed, it needs to be reconnected afterwards in order for the body to function normally. This is true for aortic or intestinal resections as well as more complicated procedures such as Whipple surgery, which removes parts of the pancreas and stomach.
There can be some confusion, especially with regards to aortic aneurysm, about the terms resection and dissection. When an aneurysm disects, the aneurysm area tears and could potentially tear the aorta completely, although this is rare. To prevent this, surgeons may remove or resect the weakened area. Further complications occur when the term transect is used, which refers to a rupture or tear of the aorta, most often due to extreme injury such as might occur in a very serious automobile accident.
Keeping the terms clear can be difficult for any lay doctor, and most of the time it may not be necessary to really know the difference. On the other hand, when a person is undergoing surgery, he may want to keep in mind the difference between resection, or partial removal, and total removal. In certain circumstances people may have surgical options which may include choosing between removing part of something or removing it all.
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