Week 5

This week I strayed from the surgical pathology floor and entered the OR for the first time, shadowing Dr. Scherr for a total of three procedures.  The first two were back-to-back surgeries, each lasting about 3 hours, while the second lasted almost 6.  The first was a robotic prostatectomy bladder neck reconstruction, and it was interesting to see how the surgeons made use of the robot to perform the surgery.  I was grateful that Dr. Scherr narrated much of the procedure, as I would have been completely lost considering my minimal anatomical knowledge.  The following procedure was a tumor resection, not robot-assisted, and was a bit harder to follow given how small the space was.  Everyone involved did their best to help me see as much as possible, however, which I appreciate.  I was impressed with how the staff was able to finish a long procedure, take a short break, and go right into the next one with no noticeable change in attitude or energy.  The final procedure, a robotic cystectomy, was more impressive still, as it was double the length of the previous procedure.  This was interesting for me as well because the first part only involved the use of a robot; the second was done without it.

I also began working on my research project.  I will be working on a study aimed at evaluating the differences between 2D synthetic mammograms/tomosynthesis and 2D digital mammograms/tomosynthesis.  The former would reduce the amount of radiation patients are exposed to by half; if the study finds that there is no difference in how effectively cancers can be diagnosed using this technique, then it would be greatly beneficial to implement it as opposed to the current technique.