SPOTLIGHT GALLERY

Gender-affirming surgery has changed significantly over the past decade. What was once a small, highly specialized field has grown into a multidisciplinary area of medicine focused on precision, patient choice, and long-term outcomes. Recent advances are not about reinventing these procedures from scratch, but about refining how they are done and making them safer, more personalized, and more accessible. One of the biggest shifts has been the introduction of robotic-assisted

Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome, or TTTS, is one of the most dangerous complications that can happen in identical twin pregnancies when both babies share a single placenta. In these pregnancies, the twins are connected by placental blood vessels. Sometimes, those connections allow blood to flow unevenly from one twin to the other. One baby ends up doing most of the donating, while the other receives more blood than their body can handle. Without proper treatment, this imbal

In May of 2025, a grand surgical innovation was made with the creation of a procedure designed to remove a tumor at the junction of the skull base & upper spinal cord. More colloquially noted as a “third eye” tumor removal procedure, a transorbital endoscopic spinal tumor removal is a new neurosurgical procedure that allows for a tumor between the skull base and a portion of the spinal cord to be removed. With this procedure, surgeons hoped to remove tissue creating pressure

A robotic partial nephrectomy is a 3-4 hour robotic surgical procedure during which a patient with a kidney tumor is able to have the diseased portion of their kidney removed. Patients that undergo a partial nephrectomy don’t have their entire kidney removed as the name implies; they are able to keep the healthy part of their kidney and continue using it throughout their lifetime. This procedure is highly distinguishable from a laparoscopic partial nephrectomy, which involves

Laparoscopic appendectomy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure used to treat appendicitis. Appendicitis is the inflammation of the appendix.  The Appendix The appendix is a small, finger-like sac that sticks out from the cecum which is the first part of the colon close to the end of the small intestine. Although it was regarded as a vestigial organ with no purpose in the past, recent research suggests that the appendix is home to many bacteria that play a role in the im

Improving surgical efficiency is very important for delivering safe patient care while reducing surgery time, costs of surgery and potential delays. Surgeons and other doctors use a variety of techniques such as advanced technology to help streamline procedures and create better outcomes. Preoperative Preparation and Checklists Surgeons and operating theatre (OT)  teams always use preoperative checklists to ensure that all necessary precautions are taken into account before s

In surgeries, Quantum Dots are tiny particles used to help doctors see specific cells or tissues more clearly. Quantum dots are special because they are small crystals that can glow in different colors when exposed to light. These glowing colors can be seen by surgeons using special cameras, allowing them to detect hard-to-see tissues. Quantum dots are usually attached to molecules that are designed to stick to certain cells, like cancer cells, making it easier for doctors to

The Linx Reflux Management System, also known as the LINX device, refers to a surgically implanted device used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), one of the most prevalent gastrointestinal disease in the United States, in the case that maximum traditional medical therapy is unsuccessful in reducing symptoms. This device is an expandable ring consisting of a series of magnetic titanium beads and connected by sliding titanium wire, allowing components to move inde

A craniectomy refers to a major brain surgery where the surgeon removes a part of your skull in order to gain better access to the brain. It is important to note that during the procedure of a craniectomy, the skull is not replaced, but instead it is done so in the follow up procedure called a cranioplasty. A craniectomy is also known as a decompressive craniectomy, as it is used to relieve swelling, pressure, bleeding, or excretion of extra fluids, all of which are usually c

The success rates of lung transplantation as a definitive therapy for end-stage lung disease is becoming extremely limited due to the scarcity of compatible organ donors. Many lungs have been discarded from donors’ bodies as they have concerns on its functionality and whether or not it had been injured. Because of this, Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion (EVLP) was invented as a solution. This allows donor lungs to be ventilated and perfused outside the body under near-physiological cond

Neurosurgery requires a great amount of precision. Whether operating on the spine or the brain, surgeons face the constant challenge of navigating delicate neural structures. This is where intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) steps in, it becomes a technological ally that has helped significantly in the landscape of high-risk surgeries. According to John Hopkins Medicine (n.d.), Intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) refers to a group of procedures used during surgery to moni

Nerves transfer surgery is a procedure that helps people regain movement and feeling after serious nerve injuries. During this surgery, doctors take a healthy nerve that the body doesn't need and connect it to a damaged nerve that has stopped working. As John Hopkins explains “A nerve transfer is a procedure during which a surgeon takes a healthy, redundant, functioning nerve (donor nerve) and reroutes it to connect to a nonfunctioning, damaged nerve (recipient nerve)." This

Lung transplantation offers hope to patients with lung disease, but there is a critical shortage of donor organs. Only about 15%-25% of available lungs are typically used for transplantation because many donors are considered damaged or too risky. Ex-vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) has emerged as a game-changing technology that helps solve this problem by giving doctors a way to assess and potentially repair lungs outside the human body before transplantation. As researchers expla

In recent years, a new, transformative approach for performing liver-related surgeries: Parenchyma-Sparing Liver Resection (PSLR). This approach is able to effectively remove tumors while also minimizing the loss of healthy liver tissue during the procedure. The PSLR technique is a type of hepatobiliary (liver-related) surgery, and unlike older, traditional methods of hepatobiliary surgeries, it prioritizes the long-term health of the liver while also being highly precise and

Artificial Intelligence has begun to revolutionize almost every aspect of daily life today, including finance, education, transportation, and more. Recently, however, it has even begun to be applied in healthcare, specifically in performing/assisting in surgical procedures. AI holds promise in improving patient care and safety, and may sometimes even enhance the skills of human surgeons. The conversation surrounding AI usage in the healthcare field is hopeful while also raisi

Many nerve injuries leave people with lasting weakness, numbness, or pain, yet scientific progress is revealing a new possibility. Stem cells may help the body regrow damaged nerves, particularly in the peripheral nervous system. Research shows that stem cell therapy can support nerve repair by transforming into helpful cell types which can stimulate axon growth, and improve overall nerve function in both laboratory studies and early clinical research. Firstly,  stem cells ai

Endovascular repair is a minimally invasive approach that allows clinicians to fix aneurysms using catheters and a stent graft placed through the blood vessels, avoiding the large incisions and long recovery of open surgery. By sealing the aneurysm off from blood flow, this technique prevents further expansion and greatly reduces the risk of rupture. It is used widely for abdominal and thoracic aortic aneurysms and is also applied to many brain aneurysms. Endovascular aneurys

Laser surgery has quickly transformed modern medicine, offering a level of precision that traditional surgical tools cannot match, especially when it comes to delicate structures like blood vessels. Instead of cutting with a metal scalpel, surgeons can now use focused beams of light to repair, seal, or remove damaged vascular tissue with remarkable accuracy. This shift not only reduces trauma to the body but also improves patient outcomes and recovery times. A laser works by

Before a baby is born, its organs, bones, and nervous system are still developing, making the fetal period one of the most critical stages of human development. When a birth defect is detected during pregnancy, parents are often told to wait until after delivery for treatment. In many cases, delaying treatment can allow progressive and irreversible damage to occur. Fetal surgery is a specialised field designed to treat defects that worsen during pregnancy or threaten a baby’s

The total artificial heart is a device that completely replaces the heart’s two main pumping chambers. It is usually used for patients with severe heart failure who are waiting for a transplant. Although scientists hope that one day artificial hearts can be permanent replacements, there are still many challenges that make long-term implantation impractical.  One major problem inhibiting its implementation is biocompatibility, which describes how well the device interacts with