title: [Symptomatic surgery].
abstract: We can distinguish between symptomatic and aetiological surgery. Symptomatic surgery includes operations, which remove the symptoms of a disease or at least palliate them albeit without removing their underlying pathology. On the other hand aetiological surgery means the curative removal of a pathology. It can be argued that any type of a surgery is symptomatic in nature, but that a part of the symptomatic surgery is curative as well. In addition to symptomatic and curative surgery, we also apply prophylactic surgery. Prophylactic surgery constitutes a controverse chapter. The question is whether an indication for prophylactic surgery does exist. One can argue, that it is difficult to improve the life of a well being patient by operating on him. On the other hand the question is whether it would not be more intelligent to improve the condition of a patient by removing the pathological aspects before symptoms appear. In addition, a pathological situation should not be allowed to progress to the stage where neither surgery nor conservative treatment offer sufficient benefit to patients.
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Chirurgie, Kantonsspital Bruderholz.
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Huber
mesh_terms: D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D010166:Palliative Care; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D016577:Pancreaticoduodenectomy; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000601:surgery; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative